Future Boltons
by adcgordon
Summary: Three kids, two parents who are still very much in love with each other after two decades together, and grandparents who want to be involved. It's a Future Bolton family full of love, laughter and mischief.
1. Papa Jack

**So I've been floundering. I've made progress on other stories, but just can't get them up to par. When this one hit me I thought I would just go with it. I hope you can follow it! I promise I'll be working on updating the other stories very soon!**

As always, I own nothing of High School Musical, its characters, actors or the wonderful production crew who brought this generation-changing phenomena into our lives (as well as Zanessa!).

**Read, enjoy and review. All reviews, PM's, etc are welcome and feed my addiction! Keep the Zanessa LOVE flowing! And let me know if you hear or see any Zanessa news. LOVE Zac's new haircut! ha ha! LOL -adc**

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Four hours. He needed to look after her for a mere four hours. Jack Bolton was always agreeable to watching his grandchildren. And to keep his youngest for a few hours would be fun, perhaps a new adventure. He was just a little curious to find out why his wife had dubbed the three-year-old "M.M." or "Miss Mischievous".

His son, Troy, had dropped Rebecca Elizabeth and their oldest grandchild Maria Lucille at the grandparents' house around 7:30 that morning. Troy and his wife, Gabriella were taking their middle child, Jonathan Jackson to his first week-long overnight camp.

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Jack and Lucille Bolton were thrilled that Troy and Gabriella had returned to Albuquerque to raise their family. The younger Bolton couple had moved around the country for five years before deciding they wanted a settled place to begin their family.

The decision was made when they bought the house two streets away from Troy's parents where Gabriella had spent the last of her high school years. And upon purchasing that house full of memories, the Bolton and Montez families were back together. Gabriella's mother, Maria, had found a smaller house not far from the two Bolton families. Albuquerque was home. That had been decided more than 15 years ago. That's why they returned.

In less than a year Jack, Lucille and Maria were waiting anxiously for their first grandchild to make her appearance. Maria Lucille was conceived the first night that Troy and Gabriella moved into their house. They hadn't even moved a bed into Gabriella's old bedroom. The memories in that room overwhelmed both of them and sent them to the carpeted floor to fulfill their desires that had started in high school.

Mac, as she called herself at age two, had filled their lives for four years before baby number two came about. Jon Jack was the spitting image of Troy. He was the result of a January ice storm that knocked out their power for two days. They had sent Mac to stay with Maria while Troy and Gabriella tried to keep the home fires burning. They were quite content finding ways to keep warm in front of the fireplace with little other entertainment available in the house.

And then there was Becca Beth. Gabriella had quickly called this little one their bonus package. She and Troy were both only children. Having two kids of their own was a joy. The third would be a challenge, but one they welcomed.

Gabriella and Troy still couldn't pinpoint when Becca had come about. Somewhere between arguing over new electronic equipment, putting up a basketball goal in the back yard or redecorating their bedroom there had been almost two months worth of makeup sex, 'trying-to-get-my-way' sex, and 'you- look-really-hot-when-you're-angry' sex. On all accounts protection had been neglected to say the least.

So, perhaps, Miss Mischievous was just following the path of her 'throw-caution-to-the-wind' parents.

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On this day with the grandparents, Grammy Lucille Bolton was taking Mac to her softball practice. Mac Attack had shown her tomboyish side early on. But try as she might basketball was not her sport. Thanks to her Uncle Chad, Troy's best friend, Mac got a taste of t-ball and by age eight, softball had become her passion.

Grammy and Mac had left the house at 8:00 at Mac's urging. She wanted to get to the field early and do some warm-ups before the rest of the team got there. Lucille and Jack both noted their 10-year-old granddaughter's determination. It reminded them a lot of their son, her father.

At that time of the morning Becca Beth was quite content to curl up with her Papa Jack on the couch and enjoy cartoons with him for a half hour. Jack enjoyed his coffee and holding the three year old in his lap snuggled up to his chest.

By nine Becca was hungry. So the two of them made their way into the kitchen. Jack sat the little girl on the counter and grabbed the eggs and milk from the refrigerator. He marveled at her ability to stir the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Her brown eyes looked up at him at one point as she asked, "Cheese, Papa Jack?"

He tapped his index finger on the tip of her nose as he returned to the refrigerator and pulled out the package of shredded cheddar cheese. Scrambled eggs with cheese was her favorite. And, Jack would comply every time she was there for breakfast.

Jack helped her stir the mixture in the skillet until it was cooked to perfection. Then they scooped it onto a plate, turned off the stove and headed to the kitchen table.

"Bow on it, pwease?" Becca requested.

Sure enough Jack found himself breathing cool air onto the eggs to bring them down to a temperature that she could consume without burning her tender tongue.

And then, they sat and ate. _What on earth is so hard about this?_ Jack wondered to himself. He glanced at the clock, 9:30 already. By noon Luce and Mac should be home and Troy and Gabi would be back around 2. Still plenty of time for him to enjoy his baby girl.

"Okay you." Jack lifted Becca from her highchair and handed her the sippy cup. "You go watch cartoons while I clean up the dishes. I'll be back in there in a few minutes." He assumed she was following his directions as she wandered back into the living room.

It only took 15 minutes to clear the dishes, wash out the skillet and wipe down the table. Jack glanced into the living room and thought he would take some time to clear the clean dishes out of the dishwasher for his wife. That plan changed when he didn't see his granddaughter anywhere in the living room.

He stepped through the door and raised his voice a little bit. "Becca? Where'd you go?" No answer. So he tried again. "Becca Beth, where are you?"

This time a little voice answered simply, "Daddy's room."

"Becca Beth Bolton! What are you doing in there?!" Came the concerned voice of her Papa Jack.

Again that little voice answered, "Nuttin'."

Jack walked into Troy's old room to find the little girl sitting on the floor going through a container of her dad's high school belongings. She had pulled out a couple of picture frames that held pictures of her mom and one that showed Troy and Gabriella standing hand in hand, forehead to forehead on a golf course.

The three year old had managed to open a case that held several copies of DVD's with Troy and Gabriella's pictures on them. "What these?" she held up two of them and smiled a toothy grin at her grandfather.

Before Jack could answer she looked back at the DVD's again. "Mommy and Daddy movies?" she stared at the media in her hands.

Jack shook his head, walked into the room and picked her up. He sat Becca up on the bed that had belonged to her father and pointed at her. "Stay put for a minute. If your Grammy comes home and finds this mess she'll put us both in time out."

"No time out." Becca pouted.

"Just sit still and let me put this stuff away." Jack repeated and started cleaning up the mess.

Becca continued to hold two different DVD's in her hands. "Wanna watch Mommy and Daddy movies." She told her grandfather. Then she repeated the same request five more times while Jack put items back into the container and slid the plastic tub back under Troy's bed.

"Now I understand your Grammy's nickname for you Becca Beth. Miss Mischievous…" He continued to talk to the three year old as she climbed farther onto the bed and started bouncing.

"Hey! None of that. You know Grammy doesn't want you bouncing on the bed." Jack tried to admonish her.

"Becca bounce!" she giggled.

Jack stood from the floor and attempted to grab her. But before he could get a hand on her she bounced out of the way. He shook his head and felt the frustration beginning to build. "Becca Beth! If you wanna watch the Mommy and Daddy movie you have to come with me right now."

Becca bounced away from him once more before doing a seat drop on the bed and holding up one of the DVD's. "Watch this one. What's it called?" she held her arms out toward her Papa.

Jack laughed as he looked at the label on the DVD. Troy and Gabriella in costume adorned the computer-generated label. At the top of the sticker were the words "Twinkle Towne". It was the first musical at East High that the two of them had done together. Actually, it was the first school musical that either of them had ever done, period.

Jack looked at his granddaughter. Her dark brown eyes mirrored her mother's. He took her in his arms and took the disk from her hand. "This one is Twinkle Towne." He smiled at her.

"Tinkle Towne?" she asked in a curious high-pitched baby voice.

Jack laughed. "As scared as your daddy was, it very well could've been 'tinkle' town." He commented. Becca just looked at him. Jack continued talking to her as he thought back to that particular musical and the events that led up to it.

"Did you know, Baby Girl, that this sparked your daddy's love for your mama?" He smiled at the memory. "They met and sang and then she showed up at East High and somehow convinced him to sing again. And the rest…well, here you are today."

The two walked back into the living room. "Are you actually gonna watch this, or are you gonna run away and get into more mischief?" Jack asked her.

Becca's innocent eyes looked up at him with a blank look on her face. "I watch d-b-d. Mommy sing?" she watched as Jack placed the disk in the DVD player and switched the tv channel.

"Yep, Mommy sings beautifully, and Daddy does his best to keep up with her." Jack laughed.

They hadn't looked at this program in nearly two decades. He was quite sure his grandchildren hadn't seen it. Mac may have heard a story or two about it, but the DVD copies of it were supposed to be kept securely in that container under Troy's bed. Leave it to 'M.M.' to find them.

As the curtain lifted on the screen Becca adjusted her eyes to the amateur video. It was a two-camera shoot so the play was edited but still it was a high school performance. The little girl didn't seem to notice. As soon as she saw the younger version of her mother on the screen she was mesmerized.

Jack found himself entranced as well, and thrown back in time.

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Jack Bolton was East High's basketball coach at the time of this performance. He had been blessed to watch his son and daughter-in-law's relationship develop. He had witnessed the ups and downs of those first few weeks for them. Jack remembered quickly that he, himself, had been the cause of some of their downs.

But Troy and Gabriella had overcome those obstacles, including Jack's initial reaction to their friendship. He had never disliked Gabriella. He thought she was taking Troy's focus off of basketball. That's what he didn't like.

What Jack quickly came to understand was that Gabriella's effect on his son was just the opposite. With this girl in his life Troy had learned new focus. With the young lady firmly embedded in his heart so quickly, Troy became a better player, a better student and a better friend. She helped him grow into a strong young man who stepped out and made his own decisions. All in all, Gabriella Montez had been a positive influence on Troy Bolton.

On the other side, a friendship with Troy had been completely new to Gabriella. Her teenage years had been spent moving from town to town as her mother was transferred by work. Finding out that she would be spending her final year and a half at East High was more than scary for Gabriella.

She had shied away from making friends. She didn't know if she knew how to make friends. The chance run-in with the sandy-haired boy on New Year's eve was the closest thing to having an 'attraction' that she had allowed herself. When he didn't call on New Year's day she let it pass without much care.

Jack laughed to himself a little at the memories. He recalled a little shock and confusion mixed in with happiness and hesitation the night after school resumed in that new year. Troy admitted singing karaoke on holiday vacation, admitted meeting a really pretty girl, and then continued the story by saying that the same girl was now attending East High.

Jack and Luce had listened carefully to Troy as he talked hurriedly, trying to pack in the entire story, yet he was also trying to cover up his strong attraction to this girl.

In the days that followed Troy had made sure that Gabriella had a friend, even after a huge misunderstanding between them. He found ways to let her know that he cared. He even brushed off basketball to try and help her adjust to the newness around her.

And after the basketball championship game, the scholastic decathlon, and the callbacks they combined their efforts and put their all into the musicale, Twinkle Towne.

That's when Jack and Lucille had really gotten to know Gabriella's mom. Maria would come by often to pick Gabriella up from the Bolton house. After practicing at school Troy and Gabi would go back to his house to do homework and run their lines again. Lucille provided snacks. Often times the two families would share dinner because the kids didn't want to give up their study sessions.

The parents knew there was much more to those sessions than studying. Yes they ran lines and did homework. Yes, Gabriella helped Troy improve his science and math scores. But even more, they talked and just got to know each other.

Jack remembered one particular night about a week before Twinkle Towne opened. Maria had brought dinner to their house and was helping Lucille put it on the table. Jack had just gotten home from a teachers' meeting. Troy stepped out of his room into the kitchen for a moment looking nervous as he stepped toward Lucille.

"Mom, I need a few closed-door minutes" he spoke quietly and pointed toward his room.

Lucille nodded at him as if she understood what was happening. "15 minutes Troy."

She smiled at him softly as he took a deep breath and nodded his head. Maria and Jack watched the 16 year old walk back into his room and close the door. They both looked toward Lucille and watched her smile grow bigger.

"He has something to ask Gabriella." She stated. And then she motioned for Maria and Jack to join her right outside of Troy's closed door.

They heard Troy talking quietly inside. After a couple of minutes they heard Gabriella's voice. "Are you serious Wildcat? Me? Really?"

The adults smiled hearing the hesitant excitement in her voice. And they had to admit, they loved hearing Gabriella call Troy by the nickname she had given him.

By this point Maria was well aware of what was happening. Jack, poor Jack, was still behind by just a step or two. His face was happy, but still curious to what was happening behind that door.

Finally they heard Troy talk again, this time he sounded much more upbeat. "That's a 'yes', right? You're saying yes?"

"Yes!" Gabriella responded.

"You don't know how happy you've just made me!" Troy exclaimed, knowing very well that their parents were within earshot.

Lucille took Jack by the hand and led him back into the kitchen, followed by Maria. Both women were wearing similar smiles across their faces. Jack, poor Jack, was still trying to understand. "He didn't just propose to her did he?"

Maria laughed and looked to Lucille to try and explain. "No Sweetheart. There are a few steps a couple has to take before that happens. You're the high school teacher, don't you see things like this everyday?" Lucille shook her head at her husband.

"See what happen?" Jack shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands.

Lucille rolled her eyes at him. "Your son just asked Gabriella to be his girlfriend. And it sounds like she accepted." Lucille smiled.

Jack looked toward Maria. "I thought they already were." He scrunched his eyebrows.

Maria laughed at him. "Troy hadn't officially asked her."

"Ahhhh!" Now the realization hit him.

Maria and Lucille shared a laugh at Jack's expense. They all hushed, however, as the door to Troy's room opened slowly and the kids emerged. Both were grinning, both were blushing and Troy was cautiously wiping his thumb across his lips. Their parents couldn't help but smile at Troy's action, knowing this meant the two had shared a kiss to celebrate their step forward.

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Jack was pulled from the memory when a little hand grabbed hold of his. "Papa, why Mommy crying?" Becca asked him.

Jack had to watch the tv screen for a moment or two to remember what was actually happening in the musical. He, Lucille and Maria had seen nearly every performance of this show. After hearing Troy and Gabriella practice, and watching it five times on stage, they nearly knew it by heart. But again, that was almost 20 years ago now.

"Papa?" The little voice said again and gripped his hand a little tighter. Jack felt a little body crawl into his lap as her eyes stayed glued to her mom on the screen.

"Oh, honey. Mommy's just pretending there. Daddy's playing like he's going to another town for a while and Mommy's sad that he's leaving that's all." Jack worked to console her tiny fears.

"Daddy come back and Mommy be happy?" Jack's little princess inquired.

"You bet he will honey. Your Daddy will never be very far from your Mommy or you for very long." Those words shot two other memories into Jack's brain.

The first revolved around the summer prior to Troy and Gabriella's senior year of high school. It was one of two times in their relationship when Jack and Lucille thought the two might actually breakup.

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Jack remembered a change in Troy as that summer progressed. What started as a summer of working with teammates to make some extra money grew into the chance for a scholarship and added responsibilities. But those responsibilities didn't leave Troy a lot of room to spend time with his friends, including Gabriella.

While other Wildcats were playing baseball or running to the mall Troy was moping in his room. Gabriella was nowhere near the Bolton house and that worried Jack and Lucille. Especially when Troy's mom found the necklace that he had given to Gabriella, laying on his dresser. Since his class ring was too big to fit her small fingers, Troy had bought Gabriella the 'T' necklace to mark their bond and relationship.

Lucille had tried that evening to ask Troy about the necklace and Troy wouldn't even talk to her. He had put his hand up and looked as though he was completely lost. Lucille had given Jack a worried look and headed for the phone to call Maria.

Jack waited an hour before making his way into Troy's room. They talked about the changes that had taken place. Changes that made Troy wonder if he was making the right decisions. Jack hadn't offered any advice to his son that night. But he assured Troy that the answers were right there inside his heart.

Jack and Lucille had discussed his conversation with Troy that night. Maria had shared that Gabriella was quite sad and moping around as well. She wasn't wearing her necklace and wouldn't share with Maria the reason why. Maria said that Gabriella had even quit her job because working around Troy was not what she had expected.

The next morning they had found a simple note from Troy where the necklace had been on his dresser. _I'd rather wash dishes and be with Gabriella than get a full scholarship and not have her._

Lucille had immediately taken the note to the Montez house. Maria had taken the day off because Gabriella had planned to be in the summer talent show with her coworkers. After quitting the job, Maria was staying home just to try and keep Gabriella's mind off the program. Instead she had already spent part of the early morning convincing Gabriella to talk to several friends when they called her.

Maria allowed Lucille to take the note directly up to Gabriella's room. Gabi was on the phone with Taylor and already in tears when Lucille walked in. Mrs. Bolton placed the note on Gabriella's bedside table and then took the young lady in her arms and held her for a minute while she tried to continue her phone conversation.

"I don't know Taylor. I just don't think I can. How do I know he's not gonna do this again. I just don't think I can." Gabriella whimpered into the phone.

Lucille wasn't sure what Taylor was saying on the other end of the line. Gabriella's friend was obviously trying to convince her to do something. And, in the end it seemed like Taylor wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. Gabriella hung up the phone exasperated and looked at Lucille with tear-filled eyes.

They were sitting on the bed. "Honey, I know I'm one of the last people you want to see right now. But I found this on Troy's dresser this morning and thought you should see it." Lucille handed the note to Gabriella.

The tears streamed down the teenager's face as she read his words over and over again. She just wasn't sure what to believe. Gabriella didn't say anything else to Lucille. She simply lay down on her bed and curled into a ball while still holding the note from Troy.

Lucille quietly walked out of the bedroom and discussed with Maria everything they possibly could about the situation. Both women decided they had to let their children figure this out on their own. They only hoped the two kids would end up back together.

At the Bolton house Jack was waiting for Troy to come home. That didn't happen. Jack listened to everything Lucille told him about her visit with Gabriella and Maria. Then he called Troy's cell phone.

"Dad, I'm sorry if you don't like what I'm doing. But honestly, Gabriella is more important to me than any scholarship. I know you're thinking about me and my future. But so am I. I want her back dad. I need her."

Jack heard the sincerity in his son's voice. Jack may have been disappointed about the scholarship part of the discussion, but he was quite proud that his son had made up his mind and was working to make things right. He hoped Gabriella would see that too.

"We'll see you at the show tonight Son, okay?" Jack had ended the call.

"I may be your waiter." Troy chuckled.

"As long as you're happy." Jack informed him.

The rest of that afternoon had been a blur. Jack and Lucille had dressed and headed to the country club. Maria had sent Lucille a text about an hour before the talent show began. _"Taylor just dragged Gabriella out of here. She had the necklace. Where's Troy?"_

"_He's here at work, we think."_ Lucille replied. _"Are you coming to the show?"_

"_I'll never be dressed to make it on time. Just tell me what happens, please!"_ Maria begged via phone.

As the program progressed Lucille grew nervous. She hadn't seen Gabriella or Troy. Nor had she seen Chad, or Taylor. As the finale began she and Jack watched their son take the stage and begin to sing. Then from the back of the crowd came Gabriella's voice.

The reunion that they witnessed after the first chords were sung was one that prompted a father/son chat after the show. Jack nervously asked his son if he was 'prepared' to be with Gabriella. Troy was somewhat embarrassed, but admitted to his dad that 'yes' he was prepared. "But," Troy added, "I'm at her mercy. I won't do anything without her approval."

Lucille never knew about that conversation. She also didn't know that Jack waited up till 2:30AM the following morning when Troy finally returned home. "Everything ok?" Jack asked his son.

Troy blushed as he stood in front of his father in the living room. "We didn't…we're good, really good…but, yeah, we just didn't." he stumbled.

"You ok with that?" Jack asked as he looked up at his son from the recliner.

"Yeah." Troy nodded. "As long as I know we're together, yeah, I am."

Both Bolton men slept in the next morning with lots of tensions removed from both their minds.

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As that flashback wrapped up, Jack found himself with a three-year-old standing on his lap and dancing. The front door opened and Lucille and Mac walked in just as Becca jumped down and started mimicking her father's airplane actions during a song called 'Breaking Free'.

Lucille recognized the song but hadn't heard it in years. She also recognized her son's voice. "What are you two watching?" she laughed as she saw Becca's arms spread like wings and the little girl ran and danced around the couch.

"Mommy and Daddy movie!" Becca said excitedly.

Mac sat down on the couch and studied the screen intently while the song continued. "That's like, Mom and Dad, in high school?" she looked back at her grandparents for confirmation.

Jack nodded at the 10 year old. Lucille stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What on earth made you pull this out? Where was it?" she questioned.

Jack pointed to Becca. "Miss Mischievous. Need I say more?"

Lucille smirked. "So you couldn't keep her out of trouble for four hours?"

"Hey, I think I did pretty well. The worst she did was get into one of the tubs under Troy's old bed. She found the DVD case and pulled a couple out. Smart kid, she recognized her mom and dad on the labels." Jack smiled as Becca stopped directly in front of the tv.

The little one turned and looked at her big sister. "Look Sissy! Mommy and Daddy made a movie. They sing!"

Mac looked at her baby sister and then back at the tv. "Okay, this is just embarrassing. I'm gonna go take a shower." She turned and headed up the stairs with her bag of clothes to change into.

Jack and Lucille both laughed. "If she only knew what a gold mine these are." Jack commented.

Lucille placed a kiss in his hair and glanced over to see the second DVD on the table. "Save it for Jon and Becca. One of them will be sure to need some blackmail material on their parents. Hey, is that the Senior Year program?"

"Yep." Jack smiled up at her.

Lucille looked up at him. "I didn't know if they'd make it through that show or not." Jack watched his wife's face carefully.

"Do tell." He let a sideways smile form on his face. "Little Miss over there has had me in flashback mode for the past couple of hours. So what are you remembering?"

Lucille's mind wandered back to their son's struggle to simply finish his senior year. Just a month before graduation Gabriella accepted a spot in the Stanford University honors program, in California, more than a thousand miles from Albuquerque. But even more than that, Troy's girlfriend also accepted the position as a signal of 'goodbye' from her East High life.

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The phone call had started well enough. Troy beamed about the tux he had just picked up for prom, the same tux that Gabriella had helped him pick out. But then the conversation turned south. Gabriella wasn't getting on her plane. She wasn't coming back for prom. She wasn't coming back for the musical. She wasn't coming back for graduation. She wasn't coming back.

Troy's world turned upside down. The phone call ended and he threw the phone across his bed. He fell onto the bed and barely heard the words that Chad was trying to tell him. His eyes were fixed on the picture of Gabriella that sat on his bedside table. Suddenly the clarity that had been fixed in his mind for months was becoming a jumbled mess.

Once Chad left Troy wandered from the bedroom, retrieved his keys and informed Lucille that he was going out. She heard his truck engine start and the next thing she new he was gone.

Lucille waited 15 minutes and tried to call her son. His phone rang from the floor, in the corner of his bedroom. She picked it up and put it on his bedside table beside Gabriella's picture. Then she called Chad.

Troy's life-long friend attempted to explain to Lucille what had just happened. Her heart broke. And Lucille knew if her heart was broken, Troy's must be crushed. The only other thing she knew to do was to call Jack.

Troy's father knew him better than anyone realized. Each time Troy had talked about escaping from something Jack knew exactly where he headed. There were two places the young man would go, both of them at the school. On this evening Jack Bolton found his son sitting on the bench in the rooftop garden.

It was the same garden where Gabriella had accepted Troy's invitation to the prom. The same garden where she taught him to waltz. The same garden where they had shared numerous conversations and opened their hearts to each other. It was the same garden where Troy had brought her on their first anniversary in March, where they had made love for the first time.

Jack knew about that. Other than Troy and Gabriella, he was the only one. Maria and Lucille knew the two were close to that point but didn't know they had reached it. Troy had confided in his father. And he told Gabriella that he had talked to Jack because he was scared. Even with the precautions they took, Troy was scared.

As much as they had enjoyed the experience they agreed it couldn't happen again. Not until they were older and had a clearer picture of their future…together. But even with that, they had promised themselves to each other. They were sure then that their future would be together.

So as Jack approached Troy that's what the boy couldn't shake from his mind. "She said she loved me, but she said goodbye. Dad. How can she say that in the same sentence? Does she not trust that we can make this work? How can she really love me if she doesn't trust me, if she wants to say goodbye? It just doesn't make sense."

Jack held Troy and let him cry that evening. That was another secret they shared, one that even Gabriella didn't know about. Once his tears were finished, Troy and Jack talked about options. They talked about the end of the school year, college, the future, Troy's future…with Gabriella.

By the end of their conversation, several decisions had been made. First, Troy needed to let Gabriella know, again, that he loved her and wouldn't let her go. 'Goodbyes' might have been part of her life before coming to Albuquerque. But with Troy, if she really loved him, goodbye wasn't an option.

Second, Troy revealed his college decision to his father. Berkeley would be his school of choice. Basketball, theater, and most importantly, Gabriella would be close by. Jack had swallowed hard upon hearing that decision. But, Troy reminded him, it wasn't Jack's choice to make.

And third, Troy needed to let Gabriella know about both of these decisions in person. That would require going to Stanford. That would require driving his truck, to Stanford. That would require finding Gabriella, at Stanford.

To Troy's surprise, his father was agreeable to all three of those decisions. In Jack's mind, and in Troy's, they were all potentially life-changing decisions. And ones that Troy needed to handle along his road to adulthood.

The two of them had headed home after that and shared the decisions with Lucille, who cried at each revelation. She sat on the couch flanked by her husband and son just trying to soak in what they were telling her. They still held the two big secrets between them. Jack would never share them, that would be up to Troy, or for the first one, up to Troy or Gabriella.

"I love her mom. You know that. I can't let her say goodbye. I just can't." Troy had finished.

Lucille looked at him, hugged him and sent him up the stairs to pack. She would call Maria in just a little bit to let her know that he was on his way. Then she looked at her husband. "Jack," she paused. Her eyes were concerned. The thought of their two teenage children being in such an emotionally charged situation worried her. Her husband knew exactly what she was thinking.

"They are both more than ready and mature enough to handle this. Troy's not going to go any farther than Gabriella wants to. They are both responsible kids Luce. We have to trust them."

Jack's confirming words were gentle enough to ease her tensions but the truth in them still sent butterflies flitting through Lucille's stomach. "She is the one for him, isn't she?" Lucille questioned.

Jack smiled at her. "Yeah. I really think she is."

They spoke to Maria, saw Troy off, and talked to him again along the way and when he arrived. The next contact they had with their son was when they saw him and Gabriella appear on the stage together in the Senior Year Musicale.

Anyone who knew them could quickly realize that there was now much more to their relationship than just a high school crush. Jack, Lucille and Maria were all aware of that. All of them knew that Troy and Gabriella's relationship had reached a new level when he brought her back to East High.

And Gabriella finally realized that her bond with Troy, their love, couldn't be broken by goodbyes. It was a good change in her life and one that opened the door to their marriage and their three children.

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Somewhere in the middle of Lucille's daydreaming Jack had popped out Twinkle Towne and put in Senior Year. Miss Mischievous had crawled up into her Grammy's lap and was napping by the time the prom scene came on.

"Sharpay Evans never had a real hope of actually playing Gabriella's role, did she?" Lucille asked her husband quietly.

"Oh, who knows what that girl had hopes of. I'm just glad our two made it back in time to finish the show." Jack laughed as he watched the performance.

Mac wandered back down the stairs and took interest in the high school musical. "So where are Mom and Dad? Why weren't they in this one?" She took a quick glance at the blonde. "That ones Sharpay, isn't it? Nice costumes!" Mac laughed.

"Oh, just wait." Lucille commented. "Your father and mother know how to make quite an entrance."

"Oh Geez. Can't wait to see this." Mac slid down against the arm of the love seat and pulled her knees up under her chin as she continued watching the show.

Jack sat down on the couch and put his arm around his wife and sleeping granddaughter just as the front door opened again. Gabriella and Troy wandered in with curious looks on their faces.

"What are you watching?" Gabriella asked. Her voice woke the sleeping girl on Lucille's lap. Becca's voice chirped out in a sleepy tone, "Mommy, we watch your movie." And she put her head back down on Lucille's shoulder.

"Where did you find this?" Troy looked immediately at Mac.

"Hey, don't blame this on me. He did it." She quickly pointed toward her Papa Jack.

Jack in turn pointed at Becca Beth. "She decided to go exploring in your old room. This is what she found." He pointed the remote control toward the tv.

They all took interest in the screen again as Troy appeared in the aisle-way singing "I Just Wanna Be With You". Mac laughed when the crowd gasped as Gabriella appeared on the makeshift balcony.

"So where'd you guys come from? Why weren't you there earlier?" Their oldest daughter asked.

Gabriella blushed as she looked back at Troy wearing the same crimson color. Jack and Lucille noticed their awkward looks. Troy's parents and Gabriella's mom had never asked them anything more about the trip home. They assumed the two drove as quickly as they could to get back to the school in time for the program. They never thought there might have been an extra stop along the way…until now.

Troy glanced at his dad and mom. Gabriella leaned back against her husband's chest. "We almost made it in time for the whole show. But, Daddy's truck broke down. By the time he fixed it we were late." Gabriella lied.

Jack and Lucille both raised their eyebrows and looked at the sheepish smiles on Troy and Gabriella's faces. Jack's curiosity got the best of him. He stood from the couch and pulled his son and daughter-in-law toward the kitchen.

Again his eyebrows raised. "The truck broke down?"

Troy blushed again. "Well, it stopped. Technically I guess I pulled over and turned off the ignition."

Jack looked at both of them. "Please tell me, not in the truck."

Gabriella gasped, "Jack!"

"Rooftop, pickup truck." Jack grinned at the two.

"Dad! Geez, please." Troy begged.

"Well, where did you pull over then? It was daylight. The show started at 7." Jack added.

"You can remember that? I'm impressed." Gabriella tried to change the subject.

"We thought maybe you'd make it back to the house before heading over to the show." Jack commented, "That's why."

Troy pressed his lips together and put his arms around Gabriella's shoulders. He kissed her hair as he looked over at his dad. "Well, um, we did _make it_ back here before heading over to the show. We just waited for you guys to leave before we came in." Troy finally admitted.

Jack nearly choked. "Here? Here!?" His voice squeaked as he watched Gabriella blush again and turn toward Troy to bury her head against his chest. Her tell-tale smile and sweet giggle answered his question.

Jack smacked his hand against his forehead. He just shook his head as he looked at his children. He had to smile. Yes, Gabriella was one of his children. She had been for quite some time. As embarrassed as he felt at the moment, he was honored again that he had just been let in on a secret that the two of them had held for nearly 20 years.

Troy hugged his wife and accepted a kiss from her lips when she tiptoed up and turned her face toward his. "You trust your father with way to many secrets Wildcat." Jack smirked at her comment.

"Ah, I figure two or three every twenty years will be enough to hold him at bay, right Dad?" Troy held Gabriella close and smiled at Jack.

"Sure son, whatever you say." Jack shook his head again.

"Mommy, Daddy kiss!" a little voice squealed from the living room.

"Ah, man," came the older voice. "We see it all the time at home. Is this where it started?"

Gabriella and Troy looked at each other curiously. They wandered with Jack back to the living room. Lucille was near tears on the couch. The program had ended and she had stopped the DVD at a frozen picture of Troy and Gabriella kissing, with Troy holding up his graduation cap to try and hide them from the camera.

Mac and Becca were both watching their grandmother. "What wrong Grammy?" Becca asked and gave Lucille a hug.

Lucille picked up the remote, rewound the video a few seconds and hit play. The scene was obviously shot after the Senior Year Musicale had finished. A number of students were gathered around Gabriella giving her hugs.

Suddenly a hand appeared in front of the camera and pulled the lens around. Troy took a couple of steps away from the camera so that his face was in full focus. He cupped his hands around his mouth as though he was telling a secret to someone.

"_Everybody loves her. But I'm gonna be the one who marries her. Bet on it."_

Gabriella placed a hand over her mouth. She turned around and looked at Troy. "Another one of your 20 year secrets revealed?" She asked him softly.

"Nah." Troy smiled and bent down to kiss his wife. "At that point I would've told anybody who asked that you were going to be Gabriella Bolton." They didn't hesitate to share more kisses and kept a tight hold on each other.

Jack and Lucille looked on with smiles. Mac groaned after being subjected to more parental kisses. And Becca Beth…little Miss Mischievous…ran to her parents to disrupt their embrace and make it a group hug.

________________________________________________________________


	2. Mimi Maria

**Three kids, two parents who are still very much in love with each other and a grandmother who wants to be more involved. Here's what happens when Mimi Maria tries to take the Bolton kids for a weekend to give T & G some much needed time alone. **Warning, parts of this are T+/M rated, read at your own risk. :)****

**As always, please read, enjoy, and review or PM me! I love your comments and feedback. And of course...Keep the Zanessa love flowing! -adc  
**

* * *

The bedroom door was wide open. The comforter was thrown carelessly on the floor and the sounds of grunts and erotic moans filled the entire upstairs portion of the house.

Gabriella found herself laying face down on the bed with her fully aroused husband moving himself between her buttocks. His sweaty hands had made their way under her chest and she and Troy were both completely enjoying the feel of his hands on her naked breasts.

Both were amazed. They had restrained themselves for an hour to reach this point. Troy and Gabriella had purposefully held themselves back from just ripping each others clothes off and taking each other in the doorway after Maria had taken the children and backed out of the driveway.

This was their time. They had looked forward to it for two weeks. They had teased each other to no end and had been sexually aroused for two days simply knowing they would have the house to themselves for the first time in months.

And then, the phone rang.

"No, no NO!" Gabriella panted as Troy stilled on top of her. "Don't you dare. Don't answer that."

Troy continued his movements to a lesser extent as the phone kept ringing. He bent down and ghosted kisses between his wife's shoulder blades while his hands remained underneath her body.

When the answering machine picked up the frantic yet apologetic voice of Gabriella's mother appeared on the line. "Gabi, Troy. I'm sorry to call. But I think your Little Miss Mischievous needs stitches. I'll take her to the e.r. at Albuquerque General, I just need to know if that's ok. Call me back. I know I interrupted. If I don't hear from you, I'll call Jack and Lucille."

The naked parents could both feel their desires lessening, especially when they heard the cries of their youngest daughter in the background. Gabriella pushed her hips backwards against her husband's pelvis one more time before mumbling, "Becca Beth Bolton…"

Troy rolled himself off his wife and put his forearm over his forehead. "Mimi wasn't completely panicked and she hasn't called 911. There better be a good explanation for this."

Gabriella turned to look at her husband's gorgeousness lying next to her on the bed. She placed a small hand on his chest and let it wander over his collarbone, down his sternum, and then stopped just south of his belly button. She then slithered her own nakedness on top of him as she reached for the phone by the bed. "We are not done here." She stated plainly as he wrapped his other arm around her body.

She quickly dialed Maria's number and was surprised when their eldest daughter answered the call. "Mac, where's Mimi?"

The ten year old sounded a bit panicked but talked to her mother quite calmly. "Mimi's sitting on the couch with Becca. Becca fell off the bed and hit her head. We think she needs stitches cause she's bleeding."

Gabriella felt her heart beat a little faster with the added information. "Thank you Baby, just let me talk to Mimi a minute, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." Mac answered and carried the phone into the living room. "It's mom." She told her grandmother as she handed her the phone.

Maria sat with the 3 year old on her lap holding several pieces of gauze to the little girl's head. Mac stepped away from the two making a face at the bloodstains that were coming through the gauze. She went across the room to sit with her five-year-old brother who was stationed with arms crossed in the recliner.

"Gabi, I'm so sorry. I'll take care of this, I just need you to point me in the right direction. She's ok, but I think she needs stitches." Maria started into the phone regretfully.

Gabriella sat up and allowed Troy to get out of the bed as she talked to her mother. "Mom, back up. What happened? Do you need an ambulance? Is she awake?" The questions started racing from Gabriella's mind through the phone line as the little bit of panic began.

Troy quickly pulled on his boxers and jeans knowing they would be leaving the house. At the sound of his wife's fearful voice he stepped back toward the bed and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. He sat back down beside her as the conversation continued.

"They were jumping on the bed." Maria started. That was really all Gabriella needed to know. She put her head on Troy's shoulder and started shaking it slowly as she rolled her eyes.

"And…" Gabriella encouraged her mother to continue.

"And, Becca got too close to the edge, slipped off and hit her head on the bedside table. She must've caught the corner of it because there's a cut. It's not a really bad cut, but it's kind of gaping open. I don't think I can get a bandaid on there. That's why I think she needs stitches." Maria stopped there.

"Is it bleeding badly? We'll be there in ten minutes." Gabriella informed her mom.

"No, honey, I think the bleeding has stopped. I think I can get her to the hospital. Really, I don't want to interrupt your night." Maria sounded even more regretful, and almost hurt.

Gabriella pointed to her clothes that were haphazardly strewn on the floor. Troy got up from the bed and retrieved the lacy items first and then retreated to the closet to find his wife a more suitable pair of pants and shirt for the e.r. visit that he knew was in their immediate future. He grabbed a t-shirt for himself and returned to the bed.

"Mom…sorry to say…it's already interrupted." Gabriella informed Maria. The younger woman wasn't sure who was more upset by the little one's knack to interrupt a romantic evening…her, or Mimi Maria. "Just hang tight with her a few more minutes. It won't take us long to get clothes on and get over there." Gabriella pouted.

----------

Work had kept Maria extremely busy for six months. She hadn't spent nearly enough time with her three grandchildren. She was grateful for every minute she had with them. She caught one of Mac's softball games a couple of months back. She and Jon Jack had spent a couple of hours at Chuck E. Cheese's on a rainy afternoon. And she had sat with Becca at Troy and Gabriella's house a couple of times while the others were in school.

But it had been a solid half-year since the young ones had been to their Mimi's house to spend the night. And for Maria that hurt because she lived less than 15 minutes away from her kids and grandkids. What hurt even more was the chatter from the three grandkids about the stuff they had done with their Papa Jack and Grammy Lucille, Troy's parents.

So the minute Maria found the four-day weekend on her calendar she jumped at the opportunity. She had called Gabriella at her office and told her to mark the dates. She would pick up the kids on Thursday evening and bring them back sometime Sunday night.

Gabriella was cautious when she entered the outing on her schedule. Mac and Jon would be fine with their Mimi, but Becca was an absolute handful. She made a note to talk to her husband and mother before getting too excited about a potential weekend alone.

Maria had ventured to Gabi and Troy's house later that evening with a huge grin on her face. She had spent the afternoon double and triple checking schedules and had called Lucille to make sure the Bolton grandparents didn't have any plans for the kids on her free weekend. She had found that Jack would be in the middle of basketball camps; Lucille had charity committee meetings. That left the time free for Maria and the kids.

Troy opened the door to his smiling mother-in-law. "That's the biggest smile I've seen on your face in a while." He grinned back at her. "What are you up to Mimi?"

"Did Gabi talk to you about my weekend off?" Maria watched Troy's eyes.

"She mentioned that you wanted the kids to come over but she wanted to talk to you about it first." Troy wasn't realizing the full potential of Maria's time off, yet.

Upon entering their house that evening Maria was nearly tackled by a rambunctious five year old boy and three year old girl who both missed their grandmother. Maria's namesake granddaughter offered her Mimi a tight hug around the woman's neck when she sat down on the couch.

Troy and Gabriella watched the kids with Maria. In another year Maria would retire from work. Then she could get all the time with her grandchildren that she wanted. Right now, she obviously missed them. That scene alone made Gabriella's decision.

She stood behind her husband in the living room as the kids crowded around their grandmother. Her smile grew when she wrapped her arms around his waist and tiptoed up toward his ear. "Three nights, just us, right here at home. Do you think we could find something to do?"

Troy coughed. Gabriella could feel his eyes widen and swore another part of him grew as well at the mere mention of time alone together. He tugged on her arms and pulled her around in front of him. When she was facing her husband he leaned down and kissed her and cautiously placed his hands on her behind to pull her closer to him.

Maria glanced over to see her son-in-law's hands making their way over her daughter's body. Two thoughts crossed her mind. First, she was thrilled that this particular spark was still burning between the two after nearly 20 years together. And second…she was more than happy to give them an opportunity to give that spark even more life.

She turned her attention back to the grandkids after witnessing her children share a somewhat passionate kiss. Maria did clear her throat rather loudly when she saw Troy's hands blatantly squeeze Gabriella's backside.

The married couple giggled and Troy let Gabriella out of his grasp. She wandered over to her mother and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Sorry."

Maria noted her daughter's giddy tone of voice and turned to look at her smiling face. She glanced at Troy and noted his somewhat dazed expression. Turning back to Gabriella, Maria commented, "I remember that look from high school. Tell him to at least wait till I'm gone and the kids are in bed." She smirked.

Gabriella walked back to Troy and delivered the message. Troy looked at his mother-in-law and winked at her with a wide smile. "Thank You." He mouthed and watched as Maria nodded her head.

The days of blushing when caught in a public display of affection by their parents weren't completely gone. But Troy had learned quickly that Maria often enjoyed seeing their gentle touches, kisses and stolen glances. He and Gabriella had both learned that those were signs of their love that spoke far above any words they could use. They were signs that had told their parents that they were in love, long before Troy and Gabriella realized it themselves.

The hints of romance stalled as Gabriella took Troy's hand and led him to the couch where their youngest two children were enjoying the latest cartoon while sitting next to their Mimi. Mac was stationed at the computer desk in the back of the room surfing the net.

Gabriella tapped on Mac's shoulder and motioned for her to join the conversation again at the couch. The family came together and Gabriella smiled at her mom again. "So, how would you guys like to spend a few nights at Mimi's house?"

Jon and Becca quickly started bouncing on the couch with the excitement at the idea. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" They started yelling.

Mac wasn't quite as excited but she wasn't upset about the proposal. "All three of us at the same time?" she questioned.

Maria looked at her. "Yep. All three of you, and me, together. We can do some shopping on Friday, there's a soccer game on Saturday and then Sunday we'll go to the movies. What d'ya think?"

Mac thought a minute. "That sounds cool. It would be nice to get away from Mom and Dad for a while."

Maria and Troy laughed while Gabriella pouted. "That's fine Sweetheart. One day you'll want to spend time with me again."

Mac amended her answer. "Oh, Mom, it's not you…it's just you and dad…together." She scrunched her nose and pointed back and forth between the two of them.

Troy bent down and kissed Gabriella on the top of her head. Mac snorted. "Yeah, stuff like that."

Each of the adults swallowed their laughter and tried to get back on the subject. The kids were agreeable and Maria had a plan to make the deal even more appealing for Maria Lucille.

She leaned to her oldest granddaughter and whispered. "How about makeovers at the mall for just me and you that Thursday afternoon before the little ones join us? And," Maria added, "I'll give you 30 bucks to help with Jon and Becca while the four of us are together."

Troy and Gabriella couldn't hear the conversation but they saw their eldest's eyes grow wide and the smile grew on her face. Mac nodded her head and looked into her grandmother's eyes. "Deal." She whispered back in acceptance.

The family marked the special weekend on their calendar. They marked off each day over the next two weeks as they counted down. And, Gabriella noticed, Troy's advances grew stronger each day.

Their normal touches and kisses grew stronger and more prolonged. A week away he started finding chances to grope at her instead of just touching. They certainly didn't put off making love for that two-week period, but Troy's hints of what he wanted to do to her when they were really alone started becoming more and more obvious during their intimate moments in their child-filled home.

The two of them had started playing out some of those hints and fantasies as soon as Maria had picked up the kids. She was barely out of the driveway when Troy had reached for Gabriella's blouse and started unbuttoning. And Gabriella certainly hadn't fought him. She instantly reached for his belt buckle then pulled the loosened leather strap from the loops on his jeans and watched them fall down to his hips.

With her top half open and more than just the waistband of his boxers showing they had stared at each other. "Why do I feel like we're back in high school?" Gabriella had asked breathlessly.

Troy thought with a smirk. "Cause we both dreamed of doing this, in this house, during our senior year in high school." Gabriella nodded her head.

"Do you realize…" Troy reached toward her blouse again, "Since Mac was conceived on our first night in this house…" he popped another button open revealing her white lacy bra, "We've only had a few months in this house over the past ten years when we could really let loose and leave the doors open?"

Gabriella bit at her bottom lip as she watched him undo the last button and push the blouse from her shoulders. "Now we've got time to take it slow and really let loose when the time is right. Right?" she teased.

From there they had kissed and touched and teased their way into the living room, through the kitchen, back into the living room and up the stairs. Gabriella knew Troy was about to burst as she pushed open the bedroom door and stopped just inside.

She took the chance to rid him of his clothes and give him the attention he was wanting. She had to smile as she touched every inch of him and heard his soft groans turn into loud moans that included her name and expletives of what he wanted her to do him. Both of them knew they were on the way to one of their most intense sexual sessions since their honeymoon.

Then, the phone rang.

----------

Gabriella didn't even bother to knock on the door when they reached her mom's house. They parked the car quickly and walked right in through the back door. They found Maria sitting with Becca on her lap holding a cool, damp washcloth on her head. They could see the blood on it but the little girl wasn't crying.

"Daddy, my head hurts." Becca lifted her arms toward Troy who took her from Maria's embrace.

Troy noticed the tears in Maria's eyes. "Mimi, it's ok. She's gonna be fine. See, you've already got her calmed down. This little ragamuffin has a knack for getting into things, don't you Miss Mischievous?" Troy tickled the little girl under her chin.

"I know." Maria sighed and looked up at Gabriella. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have called you. I should've just taken her to the e.r. and called you about it tomorrow or something."

Gabriella stopped and looked at her mom with an odd face. She took her mom by the hand and led her into the kitchen. "You're not upset because of Becca's accident. I mean, you are, of course…but you're more upset that you had to call us…"

"That I had to interrupt you." Maria finished the thought for her daughter. She sighed. "I can handle an injured child Gabriella. But I know what it's like to be married with just one child. Finding time to yourself is hard. You and Troy have three kids. I really wanted to help you guys have some time together without having to worry about the kids."

Gabriella took her mom's hands again. "Mom, we obviously _find time._ We have three kids." She smiled. "We're not in high school anymore. Troy and I don't have to find some hiding place to make out or sneak up to the school rooftop or his tree house to make love."

The words came out sincerely until Maria's eyes widened and Gabriella realized what she had just admitted. Maria held her hand up and shook her head. Gabriella realized there was a small smile on her mother's face.

Maria worked hard not to let the smile show but she knew her daughter had seen it. Not that it really mattered right now, but Gabriella had finally admitted something to her that Maria had suspected for nearly 20 years.

With her hand still in the air Maria pointed back toward the living room. "I've got Jon and Mac. Go take Becca to the e.r.. If everything is fine then bring her back here and we'll continue our weekend as planned."

"Mom." Gabriella knew there had to be more to the other conversation that Maria had just waved off.

"Go, take care of your baby. I thought she got her mischievousness from Troy's side of the family…perhaps I was wrong. We'll talk about _that_ later." Maria commented. The threat of a long, long overdue mother-daughter chat had just been made.

Troy noticed a strained look on Gabriella's face and a knowing-smirk on Maria's. "Everything ok you two?" he asked in front of their three children. Gabriella nodded and took Becca from Troy's arms.

"Yeah." She said. "Let's see which doctor wants to see you this time little Miss." She carried Becca out the door, never once looking back at her mother.

Troy shot a questioning look in Maria's direction. "Just bring them both back here whenever you're done. I'll be waiting up." Maria told him.

He quickly caught up with Gabriella as she was buckling Becca into her car seat.

"What was that all about?" Troy asked with a little cringe as he noted his wife's demeanor.

"Did she say she'd be waiting up?" Gabriella asked Troy.

"Yeah, why?" he was still out of the loop

.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Gabriella said.

They each made their way to their seats in the minivan. Gabriella buckled quickly and pointed toward the road. Troy quietly followed her directions.

----------

"Where we going?" Becca asked from behind her mother.

Gabriella let out a long breath. "We're gonna go see a doctor and let them fix that cut on your head Little Miss."

"Becca bounce on Mimi's bed." The little girl admitted.

Gabriella turned to see her daughter with the washcloth now draped across her head. She wasn't smiling, but she certainly wasn't crying. Becca looked a little out of it, but didn't seem woozy or even close to losing consciousness. For safe measures Gabi popped in a dvd and lowered the screen in the van. A good dose of a favorite cartoon should keep the girl awake during the short drive to the hospital.

Troy looked in the rearview mirror and adjusted it to keep an eye on their daughter. Seeing the little girl grin and hearing her giggle at the cartoon Troy put his eyes back on the road. "Want to tell me what that last bit was between you and Mimi?" He barely glanced at his wife.

Gabriella thought for just a second. "I'm pretty sure I just admitted to my mom that you and I made love while we were still in high school."

Troy's eyes brightened. Though the subject matter might be traumatizing to his wife, it was much better than other thoughts that had passed through his mind.

"How long have we been married now?" He finally looked toward Gabriella.

"Fifteen years."

"And how long were we dating before we got married?" he continued although Gabriella's mind was certainly not focused completely on the conversation.

"Four…well, practically five I guess." She answered.

"So you're telling me that for twenty years you've kept this from Maria? She seriously thought we didn't _experiment_ during our senior year?" Troy smiled "That's pretty impressive."

"You make it sound like everyone should've known. Does your mom know?" Gabriella crossed her arms and looked over at her husband.

Troy thought for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know. I guess Dad may have told her about our first time, by now. But she's never said anything so I don't know."

He looked toward his wife fully when they stopped at a red light and then glanced back at his daughter who was still enthralled by the cartoon. Troy lifted his hand and placed it over one of Gabriella's and squeezed.

"Honey, Maria knows that we were both firsts for each other, right? When did she think _it_ happened? I remember talking about that during our first semester at college." Troy thought back fondly to the time they had reunited just after he got situated at Berkeley. They had both felt somewhat shy and sneaky by getting a hotel room between their two schools and meeting there for a weekend.

Gabriella leaned her head back. "Oh yeah. After that weekend at the hotel? She and I had a long discussion that included something about you and I only being with each other. She asked if I was okay and everything. I kinda assumed that she thought that was our first time. But I don't know. She never asked if that was our first time together."

"Ahhh." Troy nodded his head. "I'm beginning to see where Little One's mischievous nature comes from."

Gabriella snapped her head toward her husband. "Hey, was never mischievous about us making love. I never lied to mom about it or hid it from her. She just didn't ask the right questions."

Troy laughed. "You went to law school to cover your own tracks. Can't wait to hear the questions you sling at our kids when this subject comes up for them!"

Gabriella let her arms drift back to a less defensive position. All in all, her husband was right. After 20 years of being with him, only him, she really had nothing to hide from her mom.

Troy nudged her cheek with his hand. "Hey, look at it this way…" he smiled at her as he turned into the emergency room parking lot. "I don't think she can ground you now. I'd say the statute of limitations has passed on our high school offenses."

Gabriella looked at him and grinned with a shake of her head. She opened the side door of the van and began unbuckling her injured daughter. "C'mon Becca Beth. Let's get you taken care of."

----------

For the five minutes it took them to get checked into the e.r. Becca played shy and told the receptionist that her head hurt. Beyond that Gabriella began to wonder exactly why they were there.

The three-year-old quickly grabbed her father's cell phone and wandered to a corner of the less-than-crowded waiting room where she pretended to call her grandparents. Troy watched her and shook his head.

Gabriella watched as Becca sat for just a moment and then started pacing back and forth with her pretend conversation. Gabi leaned her head over on Troy's shoulder and just watched their little girl play. She couldn't believe they had three children together and that their relationship had spanned nearly twenty years.

And as she watched Becca climb up onto one of the tables and prepare to jump off, Gabriella couldn't believe that they had only had this particular child in the emergency room three times.

Of course, the door opened and the nurse called Becca's name just as her little legs flung her off the table and onto the floor.

"Rebecca?" the nurse's eyes widened as she watched the 10-point landing occur. "Sweetheart, you'll get another bump on your head by doing that!" She discouraged her from jumping again and held out her hand toward the youngest Bolton.

Troy rolled his eyes. "That would be what brings us here in the first place…this time." He commented to both Gabriella and the nurse. The kind lady led them back the hallway toward a curtained room. Gabi quickly noticed a familiar doctor standing in the nurse's station.

She elbowed Troy and pointed toward the tall blonde-haired man. "Dr. Fain's gonna love this." With their luck, the Bolton's pediatrician was serving his round at the e.r. that night.

They settled Becca on the hospital bed and Gabriella quickly gave her a pen and paper from her purse. "Stay put Little Miss, Dr. Fain's gonna be here anytime now to look at the boo boo on your head."

Becca just nodded and smiled. She quickly scribbled on the paper provided and started reaching toward the various machines and buttons that surrounded her. Troy worked to distract her by hitting every ticklish spot on her body.

And of course, when the loud "Daddy stop tickling me" line came from their daughter, the doctor made his entrance.

"Becca Beth Bolton." The blonde doctor looked at the three family members. "Why am I seeing you this time, and where are your brother and sister?" Dr. Fain smiled toward Gabriella and shook hands with Troy.

Gabriella looked at Becca. "One little monkey jumped on the bed…" she started. Dr. Fain smiled.

"I take it one fell off and bumped her head too?" he continued with the rhyme.

"Yep." Troy answered. "Except apparently she caught the corner of a table and got more of a cut than a bump."

The doctor looked at the open wound on Becca's head and nodded toward the concerned parents. "I can fix this with one staple. Or, I can numb her up, which will sting, and put in some stitches, which will likely hurt more. Your call."

Troy shook his head. "Um, choice A please?" he responded quickly. One look toward his wife told him that Gabriella agreed completely.

The doctor left and returned just a minute later with his medical stapler and a pair of scissors. He trimmed a few strands of hair away from the cut, asked Troy to hold his daughter for a moment and then somewhat gently clamped the staple into Becca's skin.

Gabriella cringed, Troy grimaced. Becca didn't even flinch.

"So Becca, what color Popsicle do you want?" Dr. Fain asked as the girl eyed him curiously.

"Owange." Was her simple answer. And within five more minutes they had their instructions, a sample bottle of pediatric ibuprofen, a Popsicle in a cup and a three year old with a staple in her head. All better.

----------

Gabriella dialed her mother's number again from her cell phone as Troy put Becca into her car seat. One dose of pain medicine and one sippy cup of juice and the little girl was practically out as soon as Troy started the van.

As much as Gabriella wanted to just take Becca home and put her to bed, Maria wanted the little girl back at her house. Troy listened, somewhat amused, to the phone conversation. He knew exactly why Gabriella didn't want to go back to Maria's tonight. And it had nothing to do with their sleeping daughter.

"Little Terd. How is it that she gets hurt at mom's house and I'm the one who's going to end up in trouble? Now I think I know what it feels like to have a little tattle-taling sister." Gabriella pouted.

"Hey, Becca didn't say a word to your mom about our sex ed independent study course. You let that bomb drop all on your own." Troy wanted to stick up for his youngest daughter, even if she had interrupted their night.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Take up for her and not for your wife. I get it." Gabriella giggled.

Troy shook his head. "You're going to have to face your mom sometime, you know that. And if you get it over with tonight, maybe I can help you relax when we get back home?"

Gabriella looked toward her husband with brown eyes glaring. "I'm going to tell my mother that we had sex in high school. She's going to give me some kind of lecture. And you think I'm going to go back home with you and get naked again?"

Troy thought for a moment. He looked toward Gabriella with eyebrows raised and lips pursed together. "That would be your wifely duty." He nodded. "And," he added, "you were the one who said we weren't done when you climbed on top of me about an hour ago."

She turned a bit in her seat to look at him and then smiled a devious grin. "I'll make a deal with you."

Troy shivered seeing her evil look. "I'm making a deal with the devil. And still I can't say no to you. What is it?"

"I'll do my 'wifely duty' once we get home… IF you do your husbandly duty and sit with me during the chat with mom." She watched anxiously for his reaction.

Troy had endured a few lectures from Maria Montez. The last one had come on the heels of that aforementioned weekend that he and Gabriella spent together in a California hotel. Their talk had been everything that Troy had imagined and dreamed about. And unbeknownst to his wife it had gone exactly as he had wanted.

That particular lecture, he recalled, had begun with Maria asking him if he loved her daughter. That was the only question she had been able to ask. Troy had filled the rest of the short chat by telling Mrs. Montez his intentions for her daughter. He ended the conversation by asking Maria for Gabriella's hand in marriage. Prince Charming, he was.

"Deal." He agreed. Gabriella nodded and then reached across the console and squeezed his thigh. "Have I mentioned that I love you?" Troy put his hand over top of hers and smiled in her direction.

"Yeah…" she replied. "I think you moaned it somewhere between shoving your hand into my bra and poking your penis into my…"

Troy's choking laugh covered the rest of her answer. "Oh good, look, we're home!" he stuttered as he pulled into Maria's driveway.

"Need a minute to compose yourself husband-of-mine?" Gabriella giggled. She watched as Troy ran his hand over his face trying to cool off the burning sensation her comment had left on his cheeks.

Before they got out of the van Troy reached over and took Gabriella's hand. "Did you mention all three of our high school romps?" he asked somewhat seriously.

"I think I mentioned the rooftop and your treehouse." She admitted.

"Well, here goes nothing." Troy climbed out of the driver's seat.

"She can't ground us, right?" Gabriella asked and smiled toward her husband.

He came around the van and kissed her firmly before retrieving their youngest. "If she does I'll call Chad and Taylor. They can cover for us when we sneak out to see each other!"

----------

Troy and Gabriella were both smiling as Maria opened the door for them. She took one look at her granddaughter and pointed Troy in the direction of the spare bedroom. "I've got a cot on the floor for her. That way if she rolls out she's not going too far." Maria smiled.

Troy carried the sleeping girl down the hall and slid her quietly onto the cot. Jon was in the bed and turned to see his father there. "Is she ok?" he asked with a sleepy voice.

Troy smiled at his son. "Yeah Buddy, she's ok. But hey, no more jumping on the bed, okay. Not this weekend."

Jon nodded and closed his eyes. Troy patted his son on the back and gave him a gentle kiss. "Night Buddy. I'll see you Sunday."

Troy wandered back out to the living room where Maria and Gabriella had sat down on the couch. Gabriella was flipping through a magazine with her foot tapping on the floor nervously while Maria simply sat and watched her.

Troy looked at Maria who smiled at him in return. "So ok." Maria commented. "You guys can head back home. They're all asleep now. I think I've got it from here. I'm sorry again that I had to bother you. Really, I am."

Troy stood to leave but Gabriella stayed seated, looking directly at her mom. "That's it? We can go home now?"

Maria smiled again. "What, is there something else?" She looked back and forth between her daughter and son-in-law with innocent eyes.

Gabriella shook her head. "Ugh! I pretty much admitted to you that Troy and I became sexually involved in high school. And you have _nothing_ to say about it? _Nothing?"_

Maria shook her head. "Do you want a lecture? I think it's too late for that, isn't it? I'm just happy to have grandchildren who are under the age of 20."

Troy snorted and stepped away from the couch. Gabriella crossed her arms and stomped her feet. Maria watched them both, amused at their reactions.

-----

"Gabriella. What time will you be home tonight? I know it's your anniversary with Troy. Are you guys doing anything special?" Maria was prodding her teenage daughter, hoping Gabriella would open up to her about the intentions and expectations that her daughter and her boyfriend had for this particular evening.

_She and Gabriella had talked about sex several times. Maria particularly remembered the chat they had had when Troy and Gabi had been dating for nine months. It was right around the holidays in December. _

_The teens had gone to a movie and then out to eat. Gabriella had gotten home just before her curfew, like normal, but when she came into the house her smile quickly changed into a look of fear. Maria had honestly thought the girl had lost her virginity that night. What she found was a bit of her daughter's fear about that particular subject._

_She quickly brought Gabriella into the living room, sat her down on the couch and took her hand. Maria got the hardest questions out of the way first, asking point blank if the two had had sex that night, and asking if Troy had pushed Gabriella to do something that she didn't want. Gabriella had quickly and honestly answered "No" to both of those questions._

_Then the 17 year old had looked at her mom and taken a deep breath. "Mom…we've talked about sex. I've had the sex ed class and I know, in my head, about condoms and birth control and stuff. But, in reality…" she felt the heat rise to a new level in her face as she tried to word the question in her mind. "Do guys, men, really…fit…inside a woman?"_

_Maria felt her own temperature rise. This was not a question she had expected her daughter to ask. She was prepared for questions about birth control. Honestly she was prepared for Gabriella to tell her that 'yes' she and Troy did have sex. How was she supposed to answer this question._

_Maria stumbled through her thoughts. "Honey, what happened tonight that makes you ask this question?"_

_Gabriella stared down at her hands. "We…we've touched before…each other,Troy and I, I mean. I've felt, um, well, you know…him. But I'd never seen him, you know?"_

_Maria let out the breath she was holding. "And tonight you did?"_

_Gabriella nodded and looked back up at her mother. This was a hard discussion for both of them, but one that Gabriella didn't want to have with anyone else._

"_I…thought…I was ready. And, he wasn't pushing Mom, not at all. And I wasn't trying to rush things. But when Troy suggested that we just look, and touch…" Gabriella stopped. She really didn't know what to say, or what she was trying to ask her mother._

_Maria ran her hand over Gabriella's soft hair and let her fingers rest on her daughter's back. "The male body is pretty amazing isn't it?"_

_Gabriella took a breath and then laughed once. Maria noticed her daughter's eyes grow wide. "Troy's sure is." She admitted and then looked at her mother's face._

_Maria was smiling at her. "If he is the one you are meant for, it will work. The fit will be perfect. It may not seem that way at first, but it will become pretty obvious. Your bodies will tell you."_

_Gabriella smiled at her mother. It wasn't a lecture about not having sex. It wasn't a grotesque discussion about anatomical parts. It was a simple answer that she knew her mother would come up with to ease her fears._

_They sat for several more minutes in silence. When Gabriella moved to leave the couch Maria held onto her hand for a moment more. Her look was quite serious. "Gabi. I like Troy. I trust Troy. And I trust you even more. This wasn't my way of telling you to have sex with him. But if the two of you decide that the time is right for that, take precautions. You both have very promising futures ahead of you."_

_At that Maria had let her daughter go. She decided that night that she wouldn't complicate her daughter's thoughts by asking her about sex after every date. And even on their first anniversary night, Maria simply asked Gabriella about her plans with Troy for the evening. "A picnic dinner, a concert in the park, and then looking at the stars…" had been Gabriella's answer._

_When Gabriella returned in the wee morning hours from that special evening, Maria didn't need to ask her anything. She did ask her daughter what her favorite part of the evening was. Gabriella had bit her lip when she answered. "Looking at the stars. I think we both saw stars that we never knew existed before tonight."_

_That was enough for Maria to know what the two of them had shared that night. She quickly went to her own bedroom and said two prayers. In the first she prayed that God would guide and protect both Troy and Gabriella, and grant them a future full of happiness, together._

_In the second, she thanked God for giving her the foresight, a month before, to have Gabriella begin taking birth control. _

-----

"Sweetheart." Maria looked at the two of them. "I knew you and Troy were doing more than kissing after your first few months together." Maria looked up at Troy and back at Gabriella again. "Do you remember when I took you to the doctor and you started birth control?"

Gabriella blushed but didn't relax at all. Troy sat back down beside her and put his arm around her as they listened to Maria. "When did we go to the doctor Gabi?"

Gabriella thought back. It was a long time ago. How was she expected to remember that? "I'm not sure. It was after Christmas of my senior year, like January or February I guess."

Maria nodded. "February. When was your first anniversary with Troy?"

Troy ducked his head. He had an idea where this was going. Gabriella felt her face flush again as she thought about their first 'dating' anniversary. "March." Gabi supplied the simple answer.

"You had complained about cramps like any other teenager. Yours weren't any worse than any normal girl. Now why do you think I suggested that we have you put on birth control…the month before your anniversary?"

Gabriella's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. She uncrossed her arms and moved her body closer to her husband's. Troy reached down and took her hand in his. He always knew Maria was a lot more in tune with Gabriella than she would admit.

Maria smiled softly as Gabriella swallowed the small lump in her throat. "Was that the rooftop?" Maria asked gently. She and Troy both watched as Gabriella nodded.

"Was the treehouse when Troy brought you home for the musical, or the night before graduation?" The question was quite shy coming from Gabriella's mother.

It forced the married couple to look at each other and then back at the older woman in awe.

Troy answered his mother-in-law. "The night before graduation…how…how did you know?"

Gabriella practically crawled into Troy's lap and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her mother had known about all three of their 'romps', as Troy had called them, for two decades and had never questioned her about them, never lectured her, and amazingly…never even mentioned any of them.

Maria stood up and came to sit next to them on the couch. She rubbed a gentle hand over Gabriella's shoulder and down her back. "I trust my daughter. And I trust you Troy. Since the night you climbed the trellis of that house and convinced Gabriella to do the callbacks for Twinkle Towne. I knew you were going to take care of her."

Gabriella sat up and looked at her mom. Neither had tears in their eyes. They both smiled, realizing that their mother/daughter bond was stronger than ever.

"Now." Maria decided to change the subject, somewhat. "If the two of you don't go home, and get on with your weekend plans _then_ I will lecture you. Both of you!" she smiled and winked at them.

Troy took his wife by her hands and helped her up off the couch. As they headed toward the door Gabriella turned around and looked at her mother. Maria compared the mischievous gleam in her daughter's eyes to the one she had seen in Becca's before falling off the bed.

"So, does this mean we're grounded?" Gabriella asked with a smirk.

Maria thought for a minute and nodded. "Yep. If the two of you even dare to leave that house tomorrow or Saturday I'm calling the Coach."

Troy and Gabriella both smiled at the reference to Troy's father. "Oh, please don't call him. If he knows we're home alone he'll start asking about more grandchildren."

Maria raised her eyebrows with a questioning look at the two of them. Gabriella and Troy looked at each other, shook their heads and offered their own, simple, three-word answer as they looked at Maria. "Mac, Jon, Bec."

Maria laughed and nodded. "Mac, Jon and Becca Beth. Three is plenty."

------------

Before touching his seatbelt Troy reached across and tucked two fingers under Gabriella's chin turning her head to face him. He watched as her golden brown eyes looked into his. He leaned across the console and placed his lips on hers. Troy kept his fingers under her chin as he parted her lips and gave her a simple yet sensuous kiss.

Gabriella didn't move her head at all when he pulled away from her, buckled his belt and put the van into reverse. Troy gave one last wave to Maria as they left the driveway. He certainly hoped there would be no more calls from her except to check in.

"Guilty conscience feeling better?" Troy asked as Gabriella settled comfortably into her seat.

"Much." She stated. Troy could see that her mind was obviously wandering.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked finally.

"Do you think you could still climb the tree outside our bedroom to the balcony?" she asked curiously.

"Now why would I need to do that?" Troy wondered and glanced toward her. "Hey Miss Mischievous what's going through that mind of yours?"

"Just thinking about a high school opportunity that we missed. The week before I went to Stanford…you brought pizza and chocolate covered strawberries and we had a picnic in the bedroom." Although they'd had a wonderful time that night, it wasn't the best of their memories.

"Yeah, I remember it. But what kind of opportunity did we miss?" Now Troy was very curious.

The plan was forming in Gabriella's mind. "Well…I'm just thinking…what if tomorrow night, we go get a margarita pizza, some chocolate covered strawberries…you hoist them up to me on the balcony, climb the tree…"

"And?" Troy looked to see her nibbling on her bottom lip, a smile still tugging at the corners.

"And perhaps I can remember what I _hoped_ was going to happen that night. I certainly didn't think the evening was going to end with a kiss on the cheek and you climbing down from the balcony before curfew." She admitted.

Troy felt his insides twist with her insinuation. "How bout we finish what we started earlier. And then take that walk down memory lane. My list of husbandly duties seems to be growing."

Gabriella smiled at him and placed her hand on his knee. She let it wander slowly to the inside of his thigh and crawled her fingers up toward the straining material beneath his zipper. "Hmmm. I'm happy to help that grow anytime."

**_____________________________________________________________**


	3. Coming Home Part 1

**Hi All! My chapters on this story skip around all over the place as you can tell. The next two or three take us back to the time when Troy and Gabriella decided to move back home and start a family. Much focus on parents in this particular chapter, hope you don't mind!**

**As always, I own nothing HSM other than trinkets, magazines and memories! I hold the utmost respect for the actors, and the awesome production crew that brought this generation-changing phenomena into our lives.**

**And, I'm crossing my fingers for a holiday weekend sighting of our most fave couple. Who's with me? Read, enjoy and review or PM me if you feel so moved...or if you just want to chat about Z & V...or if you see some interesting news or photos of them...or - well, you get the picture! KTZLF! -adc**

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The house at 217 Sycamore Drive in Albuquerque was no more special than the one that sat at 464 Cedarwood. Yet each time Jack Bolton drove by the Sycamore house his mind was directed toward a couple that he missed dearly.

Gabriella Montez had only lived on Sycamore Drive for a year and a half. But that young lady and her mother had swooped into the Boltons' lives and had quite an effect on them. So much so that Gabriella Montez was now Gabriella Bolton, and she and Jack's son Troy were living five hours away in Colorado while Gabriella finished her law degree.

Troy and Gabriella had been married five years. They had been out of high school ten years. They had been a couple for eleven years. Their love had started eleven point five years before…and someone or something had destined them to be together long before that.

There were a lot of reasons that Jack would drive by the house on Sycamore. When Gabriella and her mother, Maria, had moved Jack kept an eye on the house for them until it sold. The family that bought the house brought two young children with them. Over the past decade Jack had watched those children grow and had even coached their son on the East High basketball team.

This particular Thursday afternoon he passed by the house and thought of the celebration that he and his wife Lucille would be attending on Saturday in Colorado. That's when Gabriella would receive her law degree and she and Troy would begin yet another new path in their lives together.

This particular Thursday afternoon Jack stopped in front of the house on Sycamore and felt his heart begin to beat a little faster as he watched a woman in the front yard. The young woman was dressed in a polo shirt and jeans. She opened the trunk of her car and pulled out a real estate sign. She proceeded to place the sign in the front yard of 217 Sycamore. Jack's eyes widened with eager anticipation.

----------

"Once Gabriella finishes law school we'll probably look at moving again. Maybe a little closer to home." Troy had told Jack the last time they were together over the winter holidays. "Even with her in school I think we have enough saved to try and get a house, somewhere."

Jack had put his hand on his son's back. "You know, your mom and I would love to have you back in Albuquerque. Do you think you two will ever come back home?"

Troy looked at his dad and nodded his head slowly. He quietly led his father away from Gabriella and their mothers who were looking at pictures in the living room. "Albuquerque is home for us too Dad. Brie feels it too. I know she does. Even Maria has talked about coming back here when she retires. I just don't know how, or when. We've been gone almost ten years. But someday, somehow, Brie and I…we'll come home."

----------

Jack covered his eyes with his sunglasses and stepped out of the car. "Excuse me, Miss?" he walked toward the real estate agent. "Is this house on the market?"

She looked at him curiously. "Yes sir. The owners apparently have kids in college out of state and they want to be closer to them, so they're ready to sell."

Jack smiled to himself. He was well aware of those kids in college. He had helped solidify the basketball scholarship that the young man had received to attend a school in Texas. The boy's sister had followed in his footsteps and accepted an invitation to attend another college in the Lone Star state.

"Do you happen to know what they're asking?" Jack held the sign as the woman pounded the legs of it into the ground. It was all he could do to keep from asking the woman _not_ to put that sign up.

She wiped the sweat out of her eyes and looked up at him. "I have an information sheet in the car. Would you like to take one?"

Jack nodded and anxiously followed her to the car. He took the sheet from her and looked it over. "I'm sorry." He apologized. "I'll let you get back to your work. But…if someone from out of town was interested in buying this house…they need to contact you, correct?"

The agent smiled at Jack's hopeful face. "Yep. All of my contact information is on that sheet. Just have them give me a call or send me an e-mail and we can arrange a tour of the house for them."

Jack returned the smile. "They wouldn't need a tour. They know this house like it was their own already. Thank you, by the way. I'm Jack Bolton. I have a feeling we'll be in touch."

"Dallas Reynolds," the real estate agent responded. "Give me a call anytime."

The two shook hands and Jack returned to his car. He sat for just a moment looking over the information sheet. That 'for sale' sign was the culmination of fate building a road for his children to return home.

-----------

Jack parked in the garage at his own home. Lucille wasn't back from her meetings just yet. He pulled the information sheet from the passenger seat and looked at it again. This time he let the tears form in his eyes.

He swiped at the salty drops and grabbed his cell phone. He had waited nearly a month to talk to his son about this. Now, he couldn't wait any longer. He dialed the number knowing that Troy would barely be finishing the day at the school where he was teaching.

The voice on the other end of the line made Jack smile even wider. "Dad? What's up?"

"Troy, I know we're going to see you tomorrow night. But there's something I need to talk to you about before we even head your direction." Jack began.

Troy would admit, he was now very curious. What couldn't wait until his parents were with them in Colorado just over 24 hours from now? "Is everything ok Dad? What can't wait?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Do you and Gabriella really want to come back to Albuquerque? I mean, not just for me and your mom, do you really want to make this your home?"

Troy's eyes squinted just a little and he shook his head as his father's question registered in his mind. "Yeah Dad. But we can't just head back home without jobs lined up and stuff. Brie has put feelers out everywhere for beginning jobs at law offices all over the Southwest. I'm pretty sure I can find a teaching position wherever she can find a job…but I want to make sure she gets what she wants first. She's come this far, she deserves to choose the job that makes her happiest."

Again Jack breathed deeply. "Troy, what if I told you that there's an opening in the district attorney's office here…and that it belongs to Gabriella if she wants it?"

Troy stood stunned in the empty gymnasium of the Colorado high school. "What?"

"Can you sit down somewhere? I actually have more to tell you." Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned his head back against the seat of the car.

Troy quickly sat on the bottom bleacher. He swallowed the saliva that was building in his throat. "Okay Dad, talk to me."

"I'm not pulling strings here Troy. Some things are just happening down here and they all point toward you and Gabriella coming back home. The D.A. job…it's an entry-level attorney position. An old buddy of mine called two weeks ago and wondered how close my daughter-in-law was to finishing her law degree. When I told him she was graduating this weekend he said they wanted to talk to her. Apparently somebody who tried to recruit her to the University of Albuquerque has been keeping up with Gabriella ever since she graduated from East High." Jack stopped for a moment.

"Okay…" Troy somewhat drawled out. "That's bizarre and almost a little scary. But what else is there?"

Jack sucked in an even deeper breath. He and Luce had talked about this next item, but only Jack held the answer. "I'm retiring Troy. I've given East High and the Wildcats everything I can. It's time for someone else with younger legs and ideas to come in here and take over. And that person is you. I talked to Principal Matsui last week, and the school superintendent. They know your credentials Troy. They will hand you the job…if you want it."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Troy?" Jack held his breath a moment, wondering if he had far overstepped his bounds in his son's life. "I don't want to force you into anything here Troy. It's your life, your and Gabriella's. You know that your mom and I would love to have you home. We miss you, a lot Troy, both of you. But the decision is yours."

He finally heard Troy breathe on the other side. "Does Mom know about all this?"

Jack leaned forward in the car and put his head on his arm on the steering wheel. "No. I wanted to talk to you first. The retirement thing…she knows about that, pretty much. We've discussed it and she knows that I'm going to do it. I just haven't said the word yet, or signed the papers…but she knows I'm going to retire. She doesn't know anything about the job for Gabriella. And there's something else…"

Troy leaned forward on the bleacher, elbow balanced on his knee with his forehead in his hand. He kept a firm grip on the phone as he stared at the floor. "What do you mean something else? What else can there be?"

Jack licked his lips and gave one quiet chuckle. "There's a house for sale on Sycamore. It just went on the market today."

"Which house?" Troy immediately asked.

"You know which house Troy." Jack didn't need to say it.

Troy smiled and raised his head to look across the gym. "Gabriella and I will be home soon."

----------

Troy remained on the bleacher. He let his father's words run through his head again and again. There were jobs for him and Gabriella. There was a house for them, a place to start a family, a place they could really call home.

He and Gabriella had talked about this so many times. Troy's hometown was the closest thing to a home that Gabriella had known since her father died. She had only spent eighteen months there, but over the course of that year and a half the two of them had become one, practically. When they talked about Albuquerque, they talked about home.

Troy finally stood and walked back to the gym office. He was finished for the day. But he unlocked the door and walked back inside. He sat down at the desk, his desk, the desk that had signified his position at this school for the past four years.

Troy pulled himself down from the cloud he seemed to be floating on. Then he pulled out a pen and paper and started scribbling. The "pro's" column filled up quickly as he made his list. The "con's" side was practically blank.

He stared at the paper for nearly a half hour trying to decide if he was just missing something, any good reason why he should not take his wife of five years and move home.

Colorado wasn't a bad place. It was actually where he and Gabriella had met. But, it wasn't home.

Troy pulled out his phone and looked at the call history. He hit the 'call back' button and waited for his father to answer. "Dad? You're serious, right? You and Mom, you didn't pull any strings, this job stuff, and the house, it's just all happened, right?"

Jack nodded from his seat in the recliner in the living room. Lucille had just walked in the door and was upstairs changing. "Troy, the closest thing I've done is to recommend you for the teaching and coaching position that I'm giving up. Am I giving it up for you? I'd have to answer 'yes' to that. But it's time. Even if you don't want the job, it's time for me to go."

"And the job at the D.A.'s office for Brie?" Troy continued.

"Son, I'm telling you. That practically fell into my lap. When I heard about that, it made my decision about retiring 100 percent easier. It's Taylor's mom Troy. She's the one who's been keeping an eye out on Gabriella. Your wife doesn't need to know that." Jack felt Lucille standing behind him and hugged the phone closer to his ear.

"Uh, Charlie, I gotta go. We're heading out in the morning, will be in Colorado till Sunday afternoon, then we're flying back. Yeah, you know we're proud of her…of both of them." Jack smiled, trying to cover his tracks.

Troy picked up on the not-so-subtle hint. "Mom's there, right?"

"You got it." Jack answered happily.

"Dad, one more question please?"

"Sure, I'll bring you back a souvenier…what would you like?" Jack kept attempting to cover.

"The house dad? Is it really 217 Sycamore, and is it still like we remember it?" Troy fought the nervousness in his stomach thinking back to numerous memories he and Gabriella shared at that house while she was living there.

Jack stayed quiet for just a second as he thought about an answer. He felt Lucille place a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into her face knowing that she was well aware that he wasn't on the phone with Charlie Danforth.

"Well, I can't bring you a hammock from the lodge. But I might be able to steal some door keys for you. I don't think they've changed a thing since we were there last time." Jack wanted to pat himself on the back for coming up with that one. He waited to see if his son was smart enough to pick up on his hints.

Troy smiled knowing his mom must be standing right next to his father. "So, there's no hammock in the back yard, but nothing else has changed. And you really think we could buy it?"

Jack could feel the excitement from his son, even from hundreds of miles away. "Yep. Luce and I will do our best."

"Dad, I know you'll have to tell mom about the job offer for Brie. But can you keep her from knowing about the house? She doesn't go by there like you do, right? I know it's just a couple of streets away, but can you keep that from her?"

"We'll try." Now Jack wished Troy would just make his point and get off the phone. He had a lot to discuss with his wife. And he knew Troy had a lot to discuss with Gabriella.

"Last thing Dad, I promise." Troy could feel his dad's anticipation building. "I love you guys. You know that, right? We both love you, and miss you, very much."

At that Jack had to completely give up the ruse that he was talking to Charlie. "We know, and we love you too. Can I have Jeanette call Gabriella tomorrow before we get there?"

"Yeah, I think that would be great. I know she'd love to talk to Tay's mom. Maybe they can play catch up a little bit and talk job opportunities as well." Troy smiled.

"Good luck talking with Mrs. Bolton tonight." Jack grinned and watched as his wife's eyes grew with every sentence spoken.

"Same to you Dad, same to you." Both Bolton men hung up their phones. Jack waited for the first question to fly from Lucille's lips. Troy ripped the pro's & con's list from his notepad, locked the door and headed for his car.

----------

Lucille sat down on the couch and quietly looked at her husband. She said nothing. After just a minute her foot started tapping nervously and her eyebrows formed a worried line over her eyes.

"Ask me Luce. Whatever is on your mind, just ask me." Jack finally broke the silence.

"Are we still going to Colorado?" she finally formed the first question.

"Yes." He answered simply with a smile.

"Are Troy and Gabriella ok?" she allowed her head to move along in the questioning.

"Yes." Again Jack smiled.

"Then why were you talking to Troy?" she swallowed nervously.

"I was talking to him about our future." Jack watched his wife carefully.

"Our future?" she laughed tensely. "Our future as in me and you, you and Troy, or all of us Bolton's together? Lucille finally held her husband's gaze.

"Well, I guess it really does boil down to all four of us." Jack answered with a thoughtful look.

"Please just tell me what's going on. Don't drag me through all this guessing and waiting stuff Jack. Is this about your retirement, or what? And wait…why would Jeanette McKessie need to call Gabriella?"

Jack moved from the recliner to stand in front of his wife. "Would you like to have dinner first, or the story that just might satisfy your appetite?"

"Well, when you put it that way, what do you think I want?" She reached her hand toward her husband and patted the seat next to her on the couch. "I promise to listen and will try not to interrupt. Please tell me what you and Troy were talking about."

Jack kissed his wife on the forehead, took her hands in his and sat down beside her. "We've talked about me retiring. You know I'm leaning in that direction, yes?"

Lucille nodded. Jack waited for her to comment, but as promised, she was trying not to interrupt.

"So two weeks ago I got a call from an old buddy who worked with Jeanette in the law division over at U of A. My buddy's now working in the district attorney's office. He wanted to know when Troy and Gabriella would be back in town…when was Gabriella graduating and when would they be moving back here? Apparently Jeanette had dropped Gabriella's name as a potential job candidate."

Lucille's eyes widened at the thought and her lips opened but she held back again. Jack placed a finger over her lips.

"I called Jeanette and told her that Gabriella is graduating this weekend. I also told her that Troy has been teaching at that high school for four years now. And I told her that I didn't think they would consider moving back here right away."

At that thought Lucille pressed her lips together and tried to smile at her husband. "Even with Brie's law degree finished you don't think they'll come back home?"

Jack noted the pout and disappointment in her voice. "Hey, I'm not done with my story yet." He lifted her chin and waited to see a soft smile on her face.

"Jeanette asked me if a job for Gabriella might help bring them back home." Jack added.

Lucille's eyes brightened and widened at the same time. "What kind of job?"

"In the District Attorney's office. A couple of people have left and positions have switched around. There's an entry-level attorney's position open. Jeanette has already given Gabriella a glowing recommendation, and they want her in the position. That's all there is to it."

He watched his wife sit dumbfounded for a moment and then moved closer to her and put his arms around her shoulders. "What about Troy?" Lucille asked. She knew the answer already.

"I'm retiring Luce. And I've talked to Matsui and the superintendent. The teaching position, and basketball coach's position are both Troy's if he wants them."

Jack felt her nod her head on his shoulder. "What did Troy say when you told him about all this? Do they want to come back here?"

Jack softly brushed his hand over Lucille's cheek to wipe away the tears. "I think they do. I think they miss their friends who are still here, and us believe it or not."

Lucille lifted her head. "I was really, really scared when Troy followed Gabriella to California Jack. Really scared for him and us. I knew they were in love, I trusted both of them, but the thought of my baby boy being a thousand miles away just terrified me. But I never thought he really wanted to leave us…he just wanted to be with Gabriella even more."

Jack nodded. "Yep, and Troy knew, better than any of us, that he needed to stay close to Gabriella. She needed to know that his love wasn't just something that happened here in Albuquerque. It couldn't be broken or forgotten with just a 'goodbye.' It wasn't just a first, physical relationship for either of them."

He stopped to take a breath and try to figure out where he was going with this part of their talk when he noticed the bewildered look on Luce's face. "What?" Jack stumbled.

"What do you mean, 'physical'… like kissing and touching?" Lucille pulled away from her husband.

Jack sighed. He had held the secret from her for more than a decade. Now was the time for him to give it up. "Luce, honey, you know Troy and Gabi were each other's 'firsts'."

"Yes." She answered hesitantly. "But you know more about that too, don't you?"

Jack looked at her. "You know I love our son very much Luce. And I know he confided some stuff to you, especially when he was younger."

"But when he hit high school he turned to you didn't he?" Lucille interrupted. "Oh God… Jack, are you telling me that Troy and Brie… they were _together_ in high school?"

The realization hit Lucille harder than Jack expected it to. It wasn't the realization that Troy had turned to him, or even that their son and daughter-in-law had shared their first sexual experience at a younger age than she initially thought. The realization that smacked Lucille Bolton was the fact that her son, at age seventeen, had been so in tune with this young lady that he couldn't let her go, and was willing to fight, even with Gabriella herself, to help her know what love truly is.

Lucille's eyes drifted to the bookshelf in the room, to the pictures of Troy and Gabriella that sat as reminders on those shelves. "When…where did…do I want to know this, really?"

Jack took her face in his hands and kissed her lips softly. "Their first anniversary Luce, on the rooftop at school. They were overly protected, you could say, but the experience scared the shit out of Troy."

"He didn't hurt her?" Lucille's eyes grew concerned.

"No, exactly the opposite, I think." Jack answered honestly. "After he took Brie home that night he came and got me out of bed. He didn't want to leave her after that. He was ready to pack his bags and move in with her and Maria. He swore to me they wouldn't do it again until they were more sure about their futures, because he couldn't stand the thought of being with her…and then leaving her again.

"So when she went to Stanford and tried to tell him 'goodbye' over the phone…" Lucille remembered the sickening feeling she had gotten when Troy answered that call.

"He went back to the rooftop to try and think things out. That's when he realized that Gabriella's love was more important to him than anything else." Jack continued.

"And he needed to help her realize that too. Because as much as she and Maria had moved around she was willing to give in to the heartbreak. That's what she was used to…as much as it hurt, she thought Troy was just going to be another 'goodbye' in her life." Lucille let her thoughts run out loud.

"Instead, he was the _love_ of her life. And she is his too. When he went to Stanford to get her, she started believing in true love, in Troy's love for her." Jack smiled at the feelings that had scared both him and their son, and Gabriella.

Lucille looked down a bit sheepishly. "Were they together anymore before graduation?"

Jack covered his mouth with his hand to hide his knowing smile. "Think about it Luce. Think about it. You know them both, you watched the changes in both of them over those last few weeks of their senior year."

Lucille nodded. "They were late for the play."

Jack agreed. "They were here." He smiled when her mouth dropped open.

"How do you know?" she asked with a pout.

"I'm not positive. But someday Troy will admit it. Just wait." Jack stood still for a moment. "And…" he looked back at his wife.

"And?" She continued thinking. "Where did Gabriella stay the night before graduation? She was going to Taylor's, wasn't she? Did she?"

Jack pointed to the back yard. "I got up around midnight…saw a light on in the treehouse. I thought maybe Troy and Chad were up there for one more round of superhero make-believe."

"Jack, you didn't…"

"Luce…I started up the ladder and heard Gabriella tell Troy that she loved him. She asked him to never let her go." He smiled a wide grin. "I've never gone back up in that treehouse. And I won't ever tear it down. I truly believe that's where Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton got engaged. He didn't ask her to marry him there, but that night before graduation they both knew it was going to happen. And I think they both understood exactly what love was and why they couldn't stand to be a thousand miles away from each other…never again."

Lucille's eyes told Jack every emotion that was in her at that moment. "You've just reminded me why I fell in love with you, all over again." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. "Are our kids coming home?"

Jack smiled as he wrapped his arms around his wife. "I'd say yes."

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**This chapter is dedicated to my dad, Dallas Cheek, who passed away last Friday. Thanks Dad for always letting me come back home, and allowing me the freedom to try new adventures and spread my wings! I love you always! -adc**


	4. Coming Home Part 2

**In need of some Troyella fluff? This one could do it for you! In the last chapter Jack informed Troy and Lucille that there were jobs available in Albuquerque for both T & G. Jack also told them that he was retiring, and he told Troy that a certain house, two streets over, was for sale. That's where this one picks up!**

**Hope you enjoy. I'm in almost complete Zanessa withdrawals. So please, if you hear or see ANYTHING about them, toss me a pm or e-mail or something. Or even just send me a note to chat about them! I miss them! :( Hope they're enjoying their Canadian Chaos, even if I can't seem to. ha ha! :D  
**

**KTZLF! -adc  
**

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Troy took a deep breath as he turned his key in the lock of their apartment door. He had tried to play out the scenario in his head on the way home. How could he tell Gabriella that the pieces were falling into place for them to move back home?

He wanted to make it special, but there was no time. Two key factors in this move were going to be in their living room tomorrow night.

Even with classes finished and being at the top of her class, as expected, Gabriella Bolton was still stressing, because now she needed a job. Add to that stress the fact that her own mother and her parents-in-law were coming to see her graduate. She couldn't turn them down. Maria Montez had invested her life in Gabriella's future. Jack and Lucille Bolton had donated ten years of their own lives, as well as their son to the young woman.

Both of the young Bolton's were a little surprised at their reactions when Troy got home that day. He found his wife sitting with her legs tucked under her on the couch wearing one of his t-shirts.

He smiled at her as she batted her eyelashes in his direction, but wouldn't meet his eyes. "Did you relax today like I told you to?" He asked as though she were one of his students.

Gabriella shook her head. "I don't have any leads on a job and mom's going to be here by noon tomorrow. What do you think?"

Troy walked toward her and stopped right in front of her at the couch. "I think," he began, "that you think way too much. And, I think that you need to stop worrying about a job for just a little bit, because I guarantee that one is going to drop into your lap very soon."

Gabriella finally looked up at him and met her husband's gaze. "You guarantee it?" She questioned.

"Yep." Troy answered with a completely straight face.

She took a deep breath and released it as she continued sitting on the couch. Troy was amused to see her sitting like this. But he still didn't question her. Even with him telling her to stop thinking, the look on her face was deep in thought.

Finally she spoke to him. "Well, then, if I don't need to worry about that, then I'll move on to our company that will be here tomorrow." She held her hand up before Troy could speak. "And you're going to tell me that there's nothing more that we can do on that subject so I should stop worrying about it too, right?"

She looked up at him and smiled her beautiful smile that gave her cheeks the perfect roundness which absolutely completed her flawless face in Troy's opinion. He nodded.

"Okay, then I need some help, a distraction of some sort, to take my mind off my worries." And with that she stood up next to Troy and removed the shirt she was wearing.

Troy's eyes widened, then glazed over when he realized that she was wearing nothing underneath.

Gabriella backed up just a step to see his face. She hadn't been this forward with a lovemaking request in several months. Her teeth grazed over her bottom lip as she tried to anticipate her husband's reaction.

Troy breathed heavily through his nose as he looked over his wife's body. "And here I thought maybe you wanted to play a game of Monopoly or something." He quirked with a strained voice.

Gabriella reached for his hand and placed it on her cheek. "No games Troy. Right now, I just want to be with you. " Her voice wasn't pleading but she got her point across.

Troy carried his naked wife toward their bedroom. He barely remembered the information he needed to discuss with her. Right now he needed to make love to Gabriella. But one other topic ran through his mind.

He allowed Gabriella to undress him and poised himself beside her on the bed. She reached into the bedside table and pulled a condom from the familiar stash. Troy took the packet from her and held it in the air for just a second.

"When we move back to Albuquerque these things go out the window. When we're home, we just let nature take its course. No condoms, no birth control, just us. That's when we start our family." Troy looked again into her beautiful eyes.

Those eyes held questions after his little speech but she wasn't going to argue with her husband. "We've already waited five years…I need a job…and we have no idea when we'll get back home. I don't know if I can wait that long. That's just too much to think about right now."

Troy stopped talking for a moment and bent down to spread kisses all across her face, arms and chest. "Sorry, just trying to distract you. Is it working yet?" he lifted his head and smiled as Gabriella's delighted moans began to fill the room.

She reached for the foil between his fingertips and lifted her face to press a hot kiss to his lips. "Perfectly." She purred against his ear. "Now just stop talking."

He allowed her to take the condom from the packet and skillfully cover him with it. "Trust me Baby." He whispered into her ear as they each prepared themselves for the rush of their bodies. "We'll be home sooner than you think."

With that Troy buried himself inside of her. This was a distraction he would gladly provide for his wife…anytime she requested.

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Troy grazed one fingertip down his wife's bare arm as he propped himself up on his right elbow and watched her. When she shivered at his touch he moved closer to her and snaked his left arm around her pulling the covers up over her shoulder.

"Distracted much?" He smiled as he kissed her ear and she shivered again.

Gabriella finally rolled over and looked up into his eyes. "I was…" she smiled back at him.

"So which part of your worries have already come back to you? I did the best I could you know." Troy glanced at the clock on the bedside table near Gabriella. He puckered his lips and gave a thoughtful nod as his eyes made their way back to her face. "Two hours. I did darn well, if I do say so myself."

Gabriella snorted as she smacked his arm and then pulled it from her abdomen to just underneath her breasts. "I think that clock is fast." She laughed at the look on his face. Troy pouted because she didn't simply agree with him and applaud his efforts.

"Well, better the clock than me I suppose." He finally conceded and began tickling his wife's stomach.

She tried to return the punishment but quickly realized that Troy was still too strong for her to out maneuver. When he had her arms pinned to the bed with one naked leg holding down both of hers she gave one last helpless laugh and looked into his sparkling eyes. "Uncle?" she pleaded.

"Admit that my powers of distraction are quite impressive and I'll let you go." He grinned at her and bent down to place a kiss just under her ear. He looked back into her eyes just in time to see the playful look disappear from her face.

"I'm always…impressed…when you make love to me Troy. But don't ever let me go, please?"

Troy quickly removed his leg from hers, let go of her wrists and put his hands on her face. "You know I'll never let you go. Gabriella, you know that by now, don't you?" His face mirrored her serious look.

She nodded with her face still firmly held by his hands. She put her own hands over his and held them there. "I'm just scared Troy. School has been such a part of my life. I worked to get to Stanford, then went to Stanford, and then grad school. And you've come with me, you've followed me…you've changed your plans, for me."

Troy began to stroke her cheeks with his thumbs. "Because I love you. Brie, ever since you walked into East High my life changed. I changed my college plans, yes. But it wasn't _just_ for you, it was for me too. I wouldn't have made it at U of A knowing that you were a thousand miles away and I couldn't get to you quickly. I told you the night I brought you home for the show, I'm not going to be another 'goodbye' in your life. I'm here to stay. Remember?"

Again she nodded. "But now you've got a good job, one that you enjoy. And school's done for me. Now I have to find a job and it's probably not going to happen here…maybe not even in Colorado. I can't pull you away from this job when we're both depending on your income."

At that revelation Troy placed a kiss on her forehead and released her face from his grasp. He sighed, sat up fully and looked around the bed and the floor. Gabriella didn't offer another word. She knew there was something he needed to say so she just watched him.

He finally leaned off the side of the bed and pulled two articles of clothing off the floor. "Here, put this on." He ordered gently as he handed her his shirt that she had so meticulously taken off him earlier. Troy, in turn, pulled on his boxers.

Once they were semi clothed he pulled her into a sitting position. He moved himself toward the foot of the bed and stretched his legs in front of him. When he leaned back on his elbows he sighed again. After a moment he sat up straighter and looked back at Gabriella.

"Ok. Here's the thing…" he started.

Gabriella's eyes widened with fear. "Troy?"

"Now just wait. Don't give me the scared look. There's nothing to be scared about, just listen to me for a few minutes, ok?" He waited for her reply.

Her eyes still held a touch of fear as she looked at him. "Ok." She answered softly.

"Well, first off, you're right on a couple of things you said there. You need a job. And the one you're going to get is not going to be in Colorado." Troy's voice was more confident than he expected. "The one you're going to get is in Albuquerque. And I'm not going to follow you there."

Gabriella was now confused and the fear returned to her with his last sentence. "What?" she gasped.

Troy moved closer to her and put his index finger over her lips. "I'm not going to follow you there because we're going back home together."

Her confused eyes stared at him in disbelief. "Troy? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Will you just listen to me?" he requested politely.

She shook her head a little but pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything else.

"Tomorrow, you're going to get a call from Jeanette McKessie. She's going to tell you to call the District Attorney's office in Albuquerque about an entry-level attorney's position that's open there. And, she's going to tell you that the job is yours _IF_ you want it."

Gabriella's eyes opened wide. Her mouth followed suit. "How? Why would Tay's mom…? How do you know this? I've been searching the New Mexico law websites for weeks. There's nothing listed for Albuquerque…nothing. It's the first place I look."

"They've apparently been doing some rearranging, some job shuffling, and some people have left the office. I don't know why. I'm telling you all I know. And what I know is that Mrs. McKessie will be calling you before Maria gets here tomorrow. She's got the contact name at the D.A.'s office and has already given you a stellar recommendation. The job is yours if you want it Brie." With that Troy stopped talking.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Gabriella attempting to let this information pry its way into her brain. She wanted to go back to Albuquerque. It was home. It had been home to her ever since Troy climbed the trellis and appeared on her balcony soon after she arrived at East High. That was the night she knew she loved him.

She missed Jack and Lucille. She missed Jeanette and her other friend's parents. And, she knew, some of their high school friends were still in Albuquerque. No, life wouldn't be the same, but it was a chance to go home.

"But, Wildcat, what about you? You've got a good group of students and a good team here. You'd have to start your job search again. You _would_ be following me again. I can't ask you to do that." She searched his eyes for any hint of disappointment. "You'd be willing to do that for us to go back home?"

Troy slowly blinked his eyes at her. Each time she glimpsed the shining blue irises it seemed like his smile was growing. There was no disappointment hidden in those eyes.

"First off, you are my wife Mrs. Bolton. I would follow you anywhere. And, I would expect you to follow me if it ever came to that. Would you?" he had never asked her that question before.

Without hesitation she answered. "Of course. I trust you and I love you. I've been willing to follow you since before I went to Stanford. You know that. I was willing to go to U of A with you and skip Stanford…you wouldn't let me. Don't you remember?"

Troy smiled. "Ok. Now that that's settled, back to our other conversation." He took another deep breath and grabbed Gabriella's hands to hold them in his lap. "There's an opening for a p.e. teacher and basketball coach in Albuquerque…or at least there will be when this school year finishes."

He had kept his eyes on their linked hands as he spoke the words. This part of the conversation was a little more emotional than he expected.

Gabriella couldn't coax him to look up at her so she just asked the simple question. "Where at?"

Troy finally looked up at her and cleared the lump from his throat before opening his eyes to reveal the light sheen of teardrops in them. "At East High." He paused, "Dad's retiring."

Gabriella could see the sadness in his eyes. But at the same time she was ready to scream. She bounced a little on their bed as she moved her body to wrap her arms around her husband. Gabriella let her hands run through Troy's hair and kissed the top of his head as she pulled it to her chest.

They held each other tight for just a minute before Gabriella pulled herself from his grasp. "You can be a Wildcat again! Wait, how long have you known this? When did Jack decide to retire? He never even mentioned retiring when we saw them at Christmas and Lucille hasn't said anything either. Have you all been planning this?"

Troy sat back up and shook his head. "No, Baby, this is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. Dad called me today before I got out of school. Apparently he's got a buddy at the D.A.'s office and Jeanette's been keeping an eye on you. They want you back home Brie. And Dad said when he found that out, he decided that retirement would be perfect, right about now."

They looked at each other again. Troy didn't know what else to say and Gabriella sat in complete shock. They watched each other for any signs or signals to know what each of them was thinking.

After a few minutes Gabriella raised her eyebrows, licked her tongue across her lips and then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled somewhat innocently.

She placed her hand on Troy's thigh and started caressing the strong muscle and pulling gently at the hairs on his skin. "I know it's not a done deal, neither job is…but I kinda feel like celebrating."

Troy quickly switched positions and wrapped his wife in his arms again from behind her back. He tickled her ear just a bit with his nose before whispering to her. "I can't promise you another two hours, but if you're talking about getting distracted again…I'm all for it!"

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When Troy stepped out of the shower Friday morning he knew his wife was awake and out of the bedroom already. He could smell the bacon cooking in the kitchen. He knew she had slept quite well last night but figured she wouldn't heed his advice to 'sleep in' on this particular morning. So he pulled on his Friday attire and wandered out of their bedroom.

He wrapped his arms around Gabriella and let his chin rest on her neck as he looked over her shoulder at the breakfast she was cooking. "I hope you have time to eat. I fixed plenty of pancakes and bacon." She commented and turned to give him a kiss.

He met her lips and smiled. "So is this what you consider sleeping in?"

She held up a filled plate and waited for him to take it before fixing one for herself. They both sat down at the table and Gabriella watched as her husband doused his pancakes with maple syrup.

"There are way too many things rolling around in my head right now to sleep. And I wanted to make sure I caught you before you left this morning…just to make sure I had heard things correctly last night…in between the distractions and celebrations." She let a quirky smile form on her face as Troy grinned from ear to ear and took another bite.

"Exactly what part of last night do we need to go over again?" he asked with eyebrows wiggling.

"Being that you need to leave in 20 minutes and apparently the clock is quicker than you…" she matched his smiling face.

Troy reached across the table and took her hand in his. "That's supposed to be a good thing, for both of us, isn't it?" he laughed. "So seriously what are you thinking about?"

Gabriella released his hand and nibbled on a strip of bacon. "What's Jeanette's connection to the D.A.'s office back home? She's in the law division at U of A. So how does she know they want me for a job?"

"Well, I'm sure she can explain it better…but apparently a former co-worker of hers is now at the D.A.'s office and asked her to recommend somebody for the open position. Instead of picking one of the students at U of A, she recommended you." Troy smiled at his wife knowing that she was blushing.

"Why? How does she know what I'm doing? Why does she know what I'm doing?" the questions finally began flowing from her. Troy just stared. Curiosity was one of the things he really loved about his wife. Her inquisitive nature sometimes frustrated him, but it had also led them to some of the most pleasurable times in their young married lives.

"Why…don't you ask Jeanette when she calls? I don't have the answers for you. I can only guess that Taylor's trying to keep track of you and Jeanette has figured that it would be easier for her to simply keep up with you than trying to blow off Tay's questions." Troy answered point blank.

Gabriella cocked her head and thought about his answer for a moment. She nodded slowly. "You're probably right. Although Taylor knows what I'm doing."

"Okay…so maybe Taylor's been telling Jeanette what you're up to." Troy stopped eating to shake his head a moment. "I think you'd better talk to both of the McKessie women and they can probably straighten this out for you."

They both ate a few more bites before more questions emerged from Mrs. Bolton. "So what about you at East High? Do you want to go back there Wildcat? It'll be a lot different now. You'll have to be the adult. You can't go running up to the rooftop garden to get away from everything."

"Maybe not. But I bet I can still get a key and take you up there from time to time." He smirked at her.

"Just keep a blanket and pillows stashed in your office and I'll join you on the rooftop anytime Wildcat. Anytime." Gabriella responded to her husband as she reached across the table and rubbed her finger across his knuckles.

Troy's playful look softened at his wife's gentle, content tone. He thought momentarily about the third part of this equation. The house for sale on Sycamore. His heartbeat quickened but he kept the words from forming. In just a week school would be done.

He had already decided that they would take the following week and go back to Albuquerque for formal interviews, and to 'search' for a place to live. That's when he would surprise her with the house. Jack would help him with that surprise. The two Bolton men would talk to the real estate agent together, via phone, this weekend while Jack was visiting.

"Wildcat? Troy?" Gabriella's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. When she had his attention again she continued. "What were you thinking about? Wait, forget I asked that, we were talking about the rooftop. Albuquerque…home…" she just let her thoughts run out loud. "Can we really go home?"

Troy got up and took his plate to the sink. He came back to the table and knelt down beside Gabriella. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Can we?"

Troy wrapped his arms around her back and leaned his forehead against hers. "We can. And, I want to if you want to." He watched her eyes brighten as she nodded her head against his.

They shared a kiss there at the table, and another as Gabriella walked him to the door. Troy turned and placed a short kiss on her cheek before leaving. "Now, if you'll just try to relax and think about graduating, please? Talk to Jeanette, then take Maria out to lunch and tell her what's going on. I'll be home by 6. Remember, I'm picking up Mom and Dad from the airport after school and bringing them back here. _Don't_ cook dinner. We'll stop and get something on the way home. Mom insists. She doesn't want you lifting a finger this weekend, got it?"

Gabriella smiled. "Fine, fine. Then I'm going back to bed until the phone rings." She turned her back to walk away from her husband and he simply groaned. She looked over her shoulder and saw his longing eyes. She blew a kiss in his direction as Troy pouted, turned and walked out the door.

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"Mama!" Gabriella opened the door and nearly jumped into Maria's arms.

"Oh my Baby Girl!" The older woman dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Congratulations Mija. Graduation number three, your law degree. It's good to see your dreams come true!"

Gabriella grabbed her mom's suitcase and led her into the house. Maria would be staying with them this weekend while Troy's parents grabbed a room at the hotel down the street. Gabriella quickly moved the bag just inside the door, took her mom by the hand and led her to the couch.

As they sat down Maria quickly noted her daughter's excitement, and there was the tell-tale sign that something was up…Gabi was biting her bottom lip.

"Briella? Spill it. There's more than graduation going on here this weekend isn't there?" Before Gabriella could even nod her head Maria continued with widening eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

Gabriella clutched at the loose t-shirt she was wearing and looked down at her wedding band and engagement rings. "What? No! Mama, no. Sorry, no grandkids yet. Troy wants to wait till we can get back to Albuquerque before we start working on that."

"You're planning to go back to Albuquerque? You mean for a visit, or moving there?" Maria stopped to take a breath. The excitement was more than she expected upon arriving at her kids' house.

Gabriella stopped too. "Let's back up a minute. I have a job offer."

Maria's eyes grew and her mouth dropped open. "Already? I knew you were good Briella, but I didn't think an offer would come this quickly. Is it somewhere you've worked here in Colorado?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No. It's in New Mexico, actually, in Albuquerque."

Maria looked just a bit concerned. "Is that what you want Briella? Do you want to move back to Troy's hometown?"

"_OUR_ hometown Mama. Albuquerque is my hometown too. That's the only place that I've lived over the past 20 years that I can truly call home. No offense. I'm always at home with you. But you know what I mean?" Gabriella looked directly into her mother's eyes.

"It's where you met and fell in love with Troy."

"And where I found a way to fit in and make friends and made a difference in their lives. When we go back to visit now I can still feel that. I love Jack and Lucille and I want to be closer to them. That's not just for Troy, that's for me too." Gabriella continued.

"So what kind of job will take you back home?" Maria acknowledged the information that her daughter had just shared.

"It's an attorney's position, in the District Attorney's office. Taylor's mom recommended me for it." Gabriella's chat with Jeanette had gone amazingly well. They talked about the job in depth. Jeanette told Gabriella what the job would entail and who she would be working with and the types of cases she would work on. And, following their conversation, Gabriella had called the D.A.'s office and set up an interview.

Maria smiled at her daughter. "Can I tell you something?"

Gabriella nodded. "Of course, anything."

"Jeanette McKessie and I have been e-mailing back and forth since you started grad school. Apparently she and Taylor's dad have been keeping in close contact with Jack and Lucille ever since you and Troy got married and moved to Colorado." Maria smiled at her daughter's surprised face. "Jeanette is hoping that having you and Troy back home will help her get Taylor to realize that New Mexico isn't such a bad place…and get her back home too."

Gabriella nodded her head. "So this is all a set up then? I figured the job offer for Troy wasn't all Jack's idea."

Now Maria's eyes widened. "What job offer for Troy?"

Gabriella laughed. "It's ok Mom. You don't have to cover for Jack or Lucille. When did they tell you that Jack was retiring?"

Maria scooted back on the couch and reached for Gabriella's hand. "Jack's giving up his job…for Troy?"

Gabriella stopped laughing when she realized that this wasn't an initial part of the parental conspiracy. "You really didn't know?"

Maria shook her head. "No. Jeanette and I…we just thought that if there was any kind of job that would suit you…well, we knew Troy would be able to find a teaching job. He's good, he's personable, he's got a knack with high school kids. And he can teach a wide range of subjects. So we knew a job would open for him. But Jack's never mentioned retiring. When did you find out?"

Gabriella thought for a moment about the wonderful night that she and Troy had shared thanks to Jack's news. "Last night." She sucked in a short breath as their bedroom frolicking flashed back through her mind. She quickly worked to cover the blush that crept up her cheeks. "Uh, Troy said Jack called him at school yesterday to tell him about the D.A.'s job, and about the retirement."

The two women sat for just a few minutes before Maria moved to embrace her daughter. "So, you're going home to Albuquerque." She released Gabriella and looked at her beautiful face. "Who knows…maybe I can join you there as well." Maria smiled.

Gabriella's face brightened even more. "Admit it Mom. Jack and Lucille and Troy…they made it home for both of us."

Maria smiled and nodded yet again. "One step at a time Briella…but let's go home."

----------

The five family members crowded around Troy and Gabriella's dining room table for dinner that evening. The baked chicken was more than inviting and Gabriella had almost kept her morning promise to her husband.

"I didn't cook dinner." Was all she said to him as she took the red velvet cake out off the kitchen counter. "Mom needed to rest when she got here and I wasn't going to leave her alone. So, while she was resting I baked."

Lucille and Maria watched the short encounter. Their two children hadn't changed at all since they left Albuquerque together after high school graduation. Troy and Gabriella's love for each other could be seen in every look and touch between them. Their relationship had grown over the past decade but the love was certainly still there and stronger than ever. Even a conversation about baking proved that.

Troy leaned in and kissed his wife on the lips unconcerned that their parents were watching them. "I love you, you know that?" he asked her simply.

Gabriella nodded. "And I love you too. So, will you please get the plates and I think there are some plastic forks in the cabinet. While we have dessert maybe we can talk about my graduation present."

Troy sucked in a breath and quickly looked away from his wife. He turned his back and reached up into the cabinet seemingly just getting the plates she had requested. "Um…what, uh, gift was that?"

Two thoughts quickly entered Troy's head. One – she knew about the house being for sale. Or two – she had asked him for a specific gift and he hadn't heard her request. Either way he was screwed, and he knew it.

Gabriella put the cake down and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist and leaned her head against his back between his shoulder blades. "Well, going home of course." She answered him as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Mom and Luce and Coach are all in on this. It's probably the best present you could give me. Even without the job. The more I've thought about this today Troy, the more I want it. I'm ready to go back home." She squeezed him just a little tighter and felt him release his breath.

Troy brought the plates off the shelf and put them on the counter before he turned and returned his wife's embrace. "Whew." He covered. "I thought maybe you were ready to discuss our 'night before graduation' routine."

Gabriella jerked back from his arms just enough to smack her husband on his chest. "Troy!" she scolded in a near whisper.

He laughed with relief now realizing the 'gift' she was referring to. "C'mon, looking at the stars from the tree house, or from the rooftop of our first apartment building. Tonight's gonna be just a little tricky, with Maria staying with us, but I have a plan…" he grinned at Gabriella's shocked face.

"Stop!" she blushed and shoved the plates back into his hands.

Jack heard his daughter-in-law's near growl at his son and wandered toward them. "Can I help with anything?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at him and glanced at Troy as she picked up the cake. Behind her rosy cheeks she grumbled. "Remind your son what manners are."

Troy laughed and passed the plates to his grinning father. "Don't ask Dad. I'll make it up to her later, promise."

Jack shook his head, "I don't want to know. Especially if there's a tree house involved, I don't want to know."

Troy stopped in his tracks, five forks in his hand. Jack tossed him a simple, knowing look then turned to place the plates on the table.

----------

"So Gabriella, when is your interview at the D.A.'s office?" Lucille started the conversation.

Gabriella smiled widely. "A week from Tuesday." She looked toward Troy. "Troy's last day of school is this Thursday. I kinda figured we'd just take it easy on Friday, get packed and then leave out on Saturday morning. We shouldn't have a problem getting a hotel room for a few nights."

"Hotel room?" Jack spoke up quickly. "Why aren't you staying with us?"

"Oh, it's just short notice. I didn't want to …" Gabriella attempted to answer.

"Nonsense!" Lucille immediately jumped in. "When you're in town you stay with us. Until you find a place of your own."

Troy and Jack both crammed bites of cake into their mouths as they looked at each other. None of the women could decipher the men's looks so they just ignored them.

"School is still in session at home, right?" Maria asked Jack and Lucille. "So Troy, when will you be able to talk to the superintendent or Principal Matsui."

Jack didn't even let Troy have a chance to answer. "They'll make time for him, whenever he gets to town."

"Dad." Troy interjected. "I actually talked to them today." He looked directly at Gabriella. "And just to prove that we are still on the same wavelength…" he gestured between himself and his wife, "I am talking to them a week from Tuesday as well."

Gabriella beamed, as did Lucille and Maria. Jack held his excitement but couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Coach," Gabriella turned to her father-in-law "How are they taking your retirement announcement? They have to be shocked."

Jack smiled toward her. "I've been grumbling for the past five years. Ever since Darbus retired I haven't had anyone to pick on. I've threatened to retire for the past two years. This year I'm just following through on that threat."

Lucille patted her husband on the back. "And when he gets on my nerves at home I'll be sending him to you, so just be prepared." They all laughed.

Jack put his head on his wife's shoulder but gave his best pouting-puppy look to his daughter-in-law. "So can I suggest finding a house with several bedrooms, or at least a sleeper sofa? Or maybe even just a hammock out back?"

Gabriella laughed and Troy took her into his arms. He smiled at his dad knowing exactly what Jack was referring to. The house the Bolton men had in mind would fit that request perfectly.

"Maybe…" Troy offered, "we can look around at houses on Sunday and Monday to see what's available."

Gabriella smiled at their parents as she leaned into her husband's arms and intentionally let herself get lost in the thought of house-hunting. "Maybe." She answered as she pressed herself against him.

Troy smiled and kissed the top of her head. He and Gabriella both saw the wink that Jack sent to Troy. Lucille saw it too and realized again where her son's charm was born.

----------

Troy gathered the dessert plates and moved them into the dishwasher. When he returned to the table he nudged Jack's arm and directed him into the living room. The women watched them leave but continued their conversations.

Troy grabbed a beer for both of them and switched on the tv just for added noise.

"So." The younger Bolton started once they were settled on the couch. Jack looked curiously at his son.

"I assume you brought the real estate lady's card with you so I can call her?" Troy continued.

Jack chuckled quietly. "You underestimate me Son."

Troy watched as Jack pulled not only a business card, but also a key chain from his pants pocket. Jack placed them in Troy's open palm. "I asked her to take down the sign in the front yard, but she doesn't want to do that until papers are signed, or a loan is secured."

Troy looked at his dad and quickly moved across the couch to give him a stronger hug than Jack had even dreamed of. "Before you leave on Sunday I can give you a check. I'll talk to this lady on Monday and we can fax paperwork back and forth. That's legal, right?" Jack could feel his son's growing excitement.

"Troy, slow down. You know your mom and I will help you however we can. Are you sure that you can secure a loan? I know with both of you working you can swing the payments but are you sure you can get the loan?" Jack looked seriously at his son.

Troy nodded. "We started looking into loans before we decided to lease this place. With the money that Maria set aside for Brie from her dad's life insurance policy, along with gifts we got for the wedding, and what we've saved…we shouldn't have a problem putting down a chunk of money and that will help us with the loan too."

Jack nodded back at his son. "Troy, you know it's not gonna be easy, right? There's a lot of stuff that both of you will need to do to get this house, or any house."

Troy stopped him there. "Not any house Dad. It's gotta be this house. That's why this whole scenario is just playing out like this. That house has been pure magic since Gabriella and Maria moved into it. Now we've just gotta put that magic right back where it belongs!"

Jack shook his head. "Okay, it's comments like that that remind me that you minored in theater in college. Cut the drama Troy. We'll make this work." He smiled at the smirk on his son's face.

They sat staring at the tv for a few minutes before Jack spoke again. "Ok, tell me what you think about this plan."

Troy looked at him with a curious smile on his face. "Go for it."

"So you and Gabi go for a drive on Sunday afternoon just to look at houses and you happen to drive down Sycamore. You pull up in front of her old house and there's the 'for sale' sign in the front yard. But, it's got a 'sold' sign on it already. While she's kinda sad in the passenger seat you pull out the key and inform her that you've bought it." Jack waited for Troy's response.

"Wow. Mrs. Darbus would be proud of you! Would you like to write the script for me too for that little show?" Troy prodded his father.

Jack smacked his leg and then pushed his shoulder playfully. The sounds brought all three women out of the kitchen. Troy shot a look back at his father. Before Gabriella made her way into his lap he gave Jack the final scene of that little play. "You and mom CANNOT be anywhere near that house cause once we're in…I doubt we'll be coming back out anytime soon."

They smiled matching devious grins as Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and Lucille came to stand by Jack. Maria looked lovingly at the four of them. "And a new adventure begins for the Boltons…"

----------

As Gabriella closed the door behind Jack and Lucille later in the evening she turned to find her husband and her mother in a hush-hush conversation in the dining room. "What are you two up to?" She asked a little nervously.

Maria smiled at her. "Troy was just telling me to make myself at home because he needs to take you out for a little pre-graduation treat to make sure you aren't too nervous about tomorrow."

Gabriella's eyes grew wide as she turned to look at her husband.

Maria continued. "I assure you I'll be fine here by myself. Not like it's my first time here you know." She placed her hand softly against Troy's back and looked at her daughter. "Curfew is two hours prior to graduation time tomorrow. I sure hope that'll work for you." Maria raised her eyebrows as Gabriella felt her face nearly burning. Still, the younger woman didn't try to offer any excuses or explanations.

"Thanks Maria." Troy smiled.

Maria headed toward the spare bedroom. Troy picked up his keys and took his wife's hand. "Trust me?"

Gabriella was well aware of their 'night before graduation' tradition. In high school they had carried some blankets and pillows into Troy's tree house, opened the roof, looked at the stars, and made love. The nights before Troy graduated from Berkeley and she had graduated from Stanford they had carried blankets and pillows to the rooftop of their apartment building between the two schools, cuddled together, looked at the stars, and made love. Gabriella was quite sure they would continue that tradition tonight…the question was, where?

"You know I trust you." She smiled at him and chewed on her lower lip. "But where are we going?"

He smiled. "Ah, you'll just have to wait and see. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Troy ushered her to the car and turned on the ignition. "Well, what d'ya know…looks like the stars are shining bright tonight. They must know you're graduating tomorrow."

Gabriella just smiled. Her body was already anticipating their next few hours together. And she was anticipating a new job, a new home, and potentially starting a family with Troy. The thoughts swirled, keeping her quiet along the short drive.

When Troy pulled into the high school parking lot she just looked at him. He found a parking spot at the side of the school, got out and came around to open the door for her.

"It's kinda funny." Troy held up a door key that Gabriella assumed would open one of the doors to the school. She linked her arm with Troy's until he pulled two blankets and two pillows along with a picnic basket from the trunk of the car.

They each took a blanket and pillow and Troy grabbed the basket. "That's a new touch." Gabi pointed to the woven item.

"Just to make sure I don't drop the champagne or grapes or cheese on the way up." Troy admitted.

"Up?" she questioned as they made their way to the door.

"Uh-huh." He answered as he unlocked the door and held it open as they both entered to a staircase.

"Like I was saying," Troy continued "It's kinda funny. One day, the first year that I was teaching here, I just started wandering around to see what kind of neat and nifty places this school had. I wondered if it had anything in common with East back home."

They paused for a second as they started up the second set of stairs. "I got to this staircase and climbed to the top. And then there's this heavy door that says Rooftop Access, Garden Club Members Only." As he spoke the words the two of them reached that very door.

Troy proceeded to punch in a security code and open the door. They walked up another few steps until the entryway opened to a beautiful garden of plants and flowers on the roof of the school.

Gabriella simply gasped. "You never told me there was a garden club, or a rooftop garden…"

"You never asked." Troy claimed as he spread one of the blankets out onto an open area. "And I figured you had one more graduation to go. I thought this would be perfect, considering where we made love the very first time."

Gabriella wandered to him, threw her arms around his neck and initiated a passionate kiss that should've thrown Troy into overdrive. He answered the kiss, but instead of plummeting to the blanket and immediately undressing her he pulled back.

"Hold that thought, for just a little while." First, he sat down on the blanket and offered her his hand to help Gabriella sit down as well. She wiped a couple of tears from her eyes as Troy opened the picnic basket and pulled a bottle of champagne and their snack items out.

"We have to stick with tradition." Troy stated as he handed a few grapes to his wife. "Hit me!" he smiled and leaned back as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

She quickly sat up on her knees and after a little sniffle she tossed a grape into the air. Troy caught it with ease. It didn't hurt that they practiced this game as often as they had the chance.

Gabriella noticed when Troy grabbed handful of grapes. "Oh no you don't Mister." She crossed the blanket and straddled his legs. "You are _not_ hitting me with a bunch of grapes that are bound to get squished when we dance."

Troy held up a single grape and offered it to her. Gabriella opened her mouth and accepted his offer along with a kiss that allowed Troy to share the sweet fruit with her. She placed her hands on his chest and they watched each other slowly chew and swallow.

"Didn't know grapes could be that sexy." Troy admitted.

Gabriella looked down and picked up another plump purple oval. "Want another one?" she smiled.

Troy just nodded his head.

"Kiss me first, then you can share the grape with me." She held the fruit above his head.

"Tease." Troy pouted.

"Would you rather have me or the grape?" she asked as she brought her face closer to his and dropped the grape. Her hands found their place at the back of his neck playing with his hair.

"I can't believe you'd even ask me to make that choice." He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, softly moving them together until he felt her body begin to relax.

"Are we breaking tradition?" He asked huskily as Gabriella began to kiss his cheek and jaw, dragging her soft lips slowly down his neck.

"Hmmm," she mumbled from the sweet spot she had located on his stubbled neck. "I think the stars will be there all night. And…right now I have a different dance in mind." She forced herself to sit up and waited for Troy to open his enjoying eyes.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows and left one more soft kiss on his lips. She licked her own and then asked him softly, "Mind if I take the lead?"

Troy grabbed a pillow and placed it behind his head as her fingers began to wander over his body. "Happy night before graduation Baby. I'm all yours."

**________________________________________________________________**


	5. Coming Home Part 3

They pulled up outside Jack and Lucille's home on Saturday evening and just sat in the car for a moment. Troy's mind was already reeling with ideas about their house-hunting endeavor that was planned for Sunday, and their respective job interviews later in the week. In all honesty, he didn't care if they found jobs right away. As long as they could have the house, everything else would happen in due time.

He had spoken to the real estate agent several times during the previous week. He had faxed her all sorts of paperwork regarding his and Gabriella's last five years together, financial information and credit info. He had sent that same information to his former bank in Albuquerque. With Jack and Lucille's history at the community bank the loan was as good as in the bank.

Troy looked toward his beautiful wife who had placed a pillow against the passenger window and fallen asleep about an hour ago. He assured her that he would wake her up the minute they got home. Instead he took that first minute or so just to look at her.

He loved making her happy. Little surprises, loving words, sexy touches…whatever he could do to make her smile and laugh…were worth every moment to him. Troy wasn't quite sure exactly when she had wrapped him around her little pinky, but he was sure it happened soon after they met for a second time, in Albuquerque, at East High.

He finally smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt. Troy lifted his right arm and used his index finger to caress a line around her cheek. "Hey Beautiful." He spoke softly. "We're here."

Gabriella's eyes fluttered open. She looked around and smiled toward Troy. "Thank goodness, I really need to go to the bathroom." She laughed and worked to quickly unbuckle her own belt to get out of the car.

Troy had to laugh too. They hadn't stopped once on the way down the highway. He figured Gabriella had opted for sleep instead of a pit stop on this trip. She was eager to get home as quickly as possible.

Another eager face appeared at the front door of the Bolton home as soon as Gabriella closed her car door. Lucille held the door open with her foot and opened her arms wide as her daughter-in-law hurried toward her.

Gabriella accepted the hug but pulled back quickly. "Bathroom!" she insisted and Lucille moved aside to let her into the house. Troy's mother didn't hesitate to wander on out to the car where Troy was trying to pull a suitcase and duffle bag out of the back seat. A suit bag was lying flat underneath the other luggage.

"How long are you guys staying?" Lucille asked her son.

Troy looked at the bags and back at his mom. "The duffle bag is mine. Everything else is Gabriella's. Mom, we go through this every time."

"And every time for the past 10 years there has always been something in one of her bags that you end up needing. Doesn't matter if you're staying three days or two weeks." She held her arm out to take the suit bag from her son.

"Why don't you two just buy some larger luggage and just put your clothes into one bag?" Lucille waited for Troy to close the car doors. "That's what your father and I do. For goodness sake you've been together more than 10 years now. Haven't you seen just about everything of each other's?"

Troy coughed and snorted causing his mother to turn around and glare at him. "Troy Alexander. You know what I mean. Just take your bags in the house. I'm done with this conversation."

Troy chuckled again realizing that it had been a very one-sided conversation. He loved his mother. And he couldn't wait to be living closer to her again. "We're here till Thursday Mom…in case you were still wondering about that." He stepped up beside her and nudged her shoulder. "I love you."

Luce stopped and watched him walk ahead of her just a couple of steps until he reached the house. Gabriella met him there and opened the door to take one of the bags from his hands.

"Where's Coach?" Gabriella asked as they all three made it inside and dropped the bags.

"Your father is on the golf course." Lucille informed them as they made their way into the kitchen. She poured a glass of iced tea for each of them and then seated herself on a barstool at the island counter.

"School's not out yet. Why's Dad on the golf course?" Troy questioned. His father rarely took a weekend off from basketball team thoughts and p.e. class schedules until school was actually done each year.

"Well," Luce continued, "He signed his retirement papers last week. He put the last week of p.e. into one of the student teacher's hands and then said something about you having to pick a new team." She smiled toward Troy.

Troy rolled his eyes playfully. "That figures. He'll give me no time to get settled in before he starts harping on me about the team." He stepped toward his wife and wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on her shoulder. "I'm planning to have my mind on a few other things before I officially start work."

"Troy!" Gabriella and Lucille chided in unison.

"What?!" he raised his head from its perch and looked back and forth between the two of them. "We have to move back here from five hours away and get things arranged in our new house."

Troy swallowed, realizing what he had said as his mother and Gabriella's faces gained a little more understanding. "Wherever we decide to settle in, I'm not going to leave you to do that by yourself." He added.

"Always the thoughtful husband." Gabriella reached up and patted his cheek before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

Lucille simply smiled. It would be good to have her children back home.

----------

Troy and Jack sat down in the living room while Lucille and Gabriella put the finishing touches on dinner that evening. Jack quietly admitted to Troy that he had to get out of the house that morning because Lucille was bombarding him with questions about Troy and Gabi's real estate search. The golf game had been a much-needed distraction for several reasons including that one.

The men quickly went over the plan for Sunday. They were going to head to the high school for a round of three on three with some of Jack's current students and Troy's buddies Jason and Chad who were very anxious to see him again.

After the game it would be back home to shower, have a quick lunch and then Troy and Gabriella would begin their 'hunt' for a new place to call home.

When the foursome sat down at the table for dinner Jack just couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Even as he stared down at the plate of pasta, and even as he took controlled bites of his food, the smile still came through.

Lucille, Troy and Gabriella continued chatting about the upcoming job interviews. After admitting that she was nervous about talking to the district attorney, Gabriella finally gave in to her curiosity and looked at Troy's father.

"Okay Coach, what gives?" she huffed at him just a bit. "I'm nervous about this interview and you can't wipe the grin off your face. This better not be some big setup."

Jack coughed and quickly wiped his mouth with his napkin. The smile momentarily went away as he realized he had been in his own little world of imagination. "No, no, sweetheart, this is not a setup. Not a bad one at all, I assure you of that."

He let his head drift back down to look at the table. "I'm just beginning to let myself believe that you guys are coming back home." He glanced back up at Gabriella's brown eyes and then looked at Troy's content face. "I've…_we've_…really missed you guys. And I didn't honestly know if you'd want to come back to Albuquerque or not. You've been gone ten years. I wasn't sure where you might end up settling down."

Gabriella smiled at her father-in-law. "Well, we aren't back here yet. But I do know this is where we want to be." She slid her hand under the table and squeezed Troy's knee.

Jack sat up a little straighter and looked at Troy and Lucille before catching Gabriella's eye again. "Okay…enough sap. What if you can't find a place that you like around here over the next few days? Do you have a real estate agent to work with you while you wrap things up in Colorado? Do you need us to look around for places to open up in certain areas of town? And what if there's nothing before you need to move…are you going to take an apartment or stay here with us?"

Gabriella was readily soaking in the questions. They were questions that she and Troy hadn't even thought about. All she knew was that they were going to look for a place. They had never really searched for a house before…now Jack's questions were rattling in her head.

Troy, on the other hand, had completely frozen with his fork in mid scoop and his eyes locked on his father. All he could think was _dramatic effect_. With the somewhat fearful look on his young wife's face Troy was almost ready to kill his father. Luckily, his mother was there to bolster Gabriella and squash the unneeded fears.

"Jack. One step at a time. You know they are just beginning. Let them get started on this. They'll start close to home, there are several houses here in the neighborhood for sale. They can look at those and then branch out if that's too close to you for their liking." Lucille smirked.

"Hey!" Jack realized the insult quickly and gently pinched his wife's cheek as he stood to get more food.

"I am just trying to make sure they've thought about this stuff." He looked back at Troy from the salad bowl on the counter. "You probably should try to talk to a real estate agent."

Troy carefully shook his head at Jack so that their wives wouldn't notice. "First thing Monday morning dad, I promise. Tomorrow we just go looking. _IF_ we see something we like, then we can get the agent's number and call them first thing on Monday."

Jack sat back down and let the smile come across his face again. This time everyone just ignored him to try and avoid whatever scenario was forming in his mind.

The only other comment heard from the Coach at the table was when Troy referred to Gabriella as 'Baby' in their conversation. Coach Bolton's eyes came out of their giddy distractedness just for a moment. "Soon." Was the one word he happily mumbled.

----------

Lucille had left Troy's bedroom with the same décor it had held from his days at East High. He had taken some of the items from the room when he went to college. A few more mementoes had been snagged when he and Gabriella got married and now what was left was the basketball motif and a picture of Gabriella sitting on the gym floor.

They had spent numerous nights together in this room since leaving for college. Since Stanford and Berkeley came into the picture Troy and Gabriella had quickly decided that joint trips home would not mean separate bedrooms. And Jack, Lucille, nor Maria had tried to fight them.

So when Troy found Gabriella standing by the French doors that led to the back yard he was a little surprised that she seemed tense, nervous, even a little scared.

He quickly locked the door behind him and walked up behind her. "Penny for your thoughts." He whispered against her ear.

Gabriella uncrossed her arms and reached up to her shoulders to grasp Troy's hands. "I hadn't even thought about what Coach was saying at dinner. What if we can't find a house Troy? I guess I've just been assuming that there would be one here in our neighborhood. But what if there isn't? And what if we can't afford it?"

"Hey," Troy started and turned Gabriella to face him. "Too many what if's in this conversation. We'll go out tomorrow and see what's out here. We will find something. Brie, this is Albuquerque. There are always houses for sale here. And, we will find something that we can afford."

"We do still have the money from Dad. College didn't take all of that. Mom's always said we could use anything leftover for whatever we need. I think a house would count for that." Gabriella brightened a bit.

Troy nodded. "Is that what you'd like to do? I mean, that's your money. If you don't want to use it then we don't touch it, we'll still find a way."

Gabriella smiled and looked up at him. She used two fingers and her thumb to press his lips closed. "_Our_ money. The last few times that we have discussed that fund, it's been me, you and Mom. All three of us together Troy. And Mom has told _us_ to use that money however _we_ need to."

Troy allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck as he moved his down around her waist. "I've been putting more thought into this move than you might believe…including using that money for a down payment on a house. Between that and the money that we've been squirreling away over the past five or six years you might be surprised at what we can afford."

"Really?" Gabriella was now quite curious. She had been thinking about this too. But until they had a price in front of them she hadn't allowed herself to think much further. "Show me what you're thinking."

Troy smiled and pointed toward the bed as he walked toward the duffle bag. "Have a seat." He smiled even more as Gabriella complied with his request. "I know you're the mathematician in this family. But, I think you'll find that my home funding skills are pretty impressive."

Gabriella watched as Troy proceeded to pull a spiral notebook from his bag. He opened the book and turned several pages before staring at one for just an extra second or two.

Troy glanced overtop of the notebook and quickly but carefully turned one more page. The page full of dollar signs, math formulas and final figures was situated just after the piece of paper where he had written, "How we can buy 217 Sycamore." His wife didn't need to see that title page…not until tomorrow, at some point.

----------

Gabriella and Lucille had seated themselves on the couch looking at photo albums when Troy and Jack made it back to the house Sunday morning. Both men dropped their gym bags to the floor and mirrored each other as they made direct lines to their spouses and gave them quick, sweaty kisses on their cheeks.

The women accepted the kisses willingly but then cringed as they realized the salty, stinky drops that were dripping off of their husbands. Gabriella broke first. "Eewwww, shower, now!" she instructed.

Lucille laughed and shooed Jack in the same direction. Her husband pointed toward Troy. "You were supposed to remind me to stop at the store. Thanks Troy." Jack winked toward his son without the women noticing.

"What'd you forget at the store?" Lucille questioned without taking her eyes off the photo album that Gabriella was currently perusing.

"Beer." Jack simply stated.

When his wife pulled her head around to look at him Jack just shrugged his shoulders. "Troy invited Chad and Jase over here to watch the game tonight. The six pack in the fridge probably won't be enough." He elaborated.

He watched Luce's eyes squint toward him. She knew he was obviously up to something. But, it was also obvious that it was something he didn't care to share with her or Gabriella.

"Tell Troy to get his own house. No rough-housing in my living room. We're just now getting things back together from all the stuff they broke during high school."

Jack smiled and watched his wife turn her back on him again. "Soon, my dear, very soon." He commented as he quietly took the overnight bag from Troy's hands and headed back out the door.

-----------

Troy quickly finished his shower and changed into a pair of khakis and a polo shirt. He looked in the mirror one more time before stepping out of the bathroom and heading down the hall. This was it. He was taking his wife home, to their home, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction.

He was a little more than surprised to see both Gabriella and Lucille waiting for him with purses in hand, dressed for the outing. "I just thought I'd tag along with you guys. I haven't been house hunting since you were three Troy." His mother smiled at him.

Troy tried to keep a somewhat content look on his face as his mind raced to find an excuse as to why Lucille couldn't come with them. "Where's Dad?" was the lame question that crossed his mind and came out of his lips.

Jack was supposed to take the overnight bag to the house and drop it inside the back door. That's the door they had left open just a half hour ago when they stopped and left blankets and food at the Sycamore location. Troy's eyes met Gabriella's curious stare as he asked the question.

"What's going on Wildcat?" she watched him closely.

"Well, if Mom's going, I'm just wondering where Dad is. I figured he'd want to go too." Troy tried to hide the nervousness in his voice but knew his wife was onto him.

Lucille thought for a moment. "That's a good question. Jack left here a half hour ago to go pick up beer for you guys. Let me just call him and find out where he is."

As Luce left them by the door Gabriella's eyes questioned Troy's demeanor. "Do you not want Mom to go with us?" She watched as Troy avoided her eyes.

"I just…I want this to be our decision. Like college, like setting our wedding date, like picking out the apartment in Colorado." He wasn't lying to her. Finding _their_ house was supposed to be _their_ decision. Troy looked back into her eyes willing himself to tell her the truth, without giving away his surprise. "It was our decision to come back here, but our parents have had a hand in that. I'd like this part of our homecoming to be _our_ choice…you know?"

Gabriella smiled at him and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. "Then why didn't you just say so. I'll just tell Mom that we need to make this trip ourselves. I just thought she might have some advice for us as we start looking."

Troy returned her smile and leaned in to kiss her soft cheek just as Jack walked in the door with phone in hand. "I'm here Luce, I just got caught in one of those 15 item or less lines behind somebody with 16 items."

Jack rolled his eyes at Troy and Gabriella as Troy's eyes begged to find out what had taken his father so long to travel two streets away. Lucille rounded the corner tucking her phone into her purse. "So, where's the beer?"

"It's in the car. When the phone rang I figured I'd just come on in the house and get it later so I could find out what you needed." Jack's exasperated voice poked straight at his wife's nerves.

Troy caught his father's eye in between quips with Lucille. His eyes widened to let his father know there was a kink in their plans. "Mom is going with us to look at houses. _We_ thought you might want to come along too." Troy informed his father through softly grinding teeth.

Jack chuckled and looked at Lucille. "Oh no she's not. We're not going anywhere. We've got to make snacks for tonight. Luce, you know Chad will eat us out of the house."

"But…" Lucille's one-word response was met by her husband's index finger against her lips, followed by a kiss and a look that can only be understood between a life-long couple. She sighed as Jack put his arm around her waist and they both looked at their children. "I guess we're staying home." She pouted.

Troy's relieved face was all Jack needed to make him smile too. "Go, you two, get out of here, the afternoon is gonna be over before you see anything." Jack instructed.

Troy grabbed the home-finder section of the newspaper for good measure, opened the door and encouraged his wife to head outside. He turned back and winked at his parents and mouthed a 'thank you' in Jack's direction.

Through her confused expression Lucille smiled. "Try to get back here before Chad and Jason. We'll see you later on." Her confusion grew as Troy shook his head and grinned widely.

"Don't count on it." Troy and Jack answered in unison.

Troy headed out the door as Jack bent toward Lucille's ear. He kissed her earlobe gently and then took her hand and led her back to the living room. "Now that they're out the door, I think it's safe to fill you in." he smiled at Lucille and waited for her to sit down on the couch. "Sit back Sweetheart, you're gonna love this."

----------

Troy took a deep breath as he started the car engine and shifted into reverse. He smiled at Gabriella. "Okay, so where do you wanna start?"

Gabriella smiled back. "Could we, maybe, drive down Sycamore?"

Troy attempted to hide his excitement and yet hoped that she hadn't stumbled onto the listing for their house. It was in the paper but not in big bold print. The real estate agent had been just a little leery about withholding her advertisements for this house. Even with their excellent credit ratings and near spotless histories Troy and Gabriella were still first-time home buyers.

"How did I know you'd want to go that direction?" Troy turned the steering wheel to drive the familiar route.

"It's always been good luck in the past." Gabriella sat quietly for a moment. "Can I tell you something silly?"

Troy looked at her as they came to a four-way stop. "Of course you can. Talk to me!" he grinned.

"Since Mom and I moved…and you and I have come back here to visit…I kinda have used our old house as a wishing well or a wishing star, or whatever you want to call it." Gabriella admitted.

"How do you mean?" Troy asked as he reached over and grasped her hand.

"Well, it started when I got back for high school graduation. When mom and I drove by the house that afternoon I wished that you and I would get to spend at least part of that night together…" she blushed as the words came out of her mouth.

Troy's satisfied look was magnified by the smirk on his face. "Hmmm, so I helped make your wish come true that night?" his look softened as he watched her nod. "What else?"

Gabriella cleared her throat. "A couple of times, when we visited during freshman year, you and I drove by the house and I wished that we could get a place together in California."

"And we did after that first year. We talked about that, did you have doubts?" Troy was now quite interested in the larger role that 217 Sycamore had played in their past.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, not doubts about us. I kinda doubted that my mom would let us get an apartment. She wanted me to have the dorm experience. You know, she wanted me to experience college life at Stanford. _We_ weren't part of _her_ plan for my college experience."

"So you wished on the house and that one came true too?" Troy smiled at her.

"Yeah." She shyly agreed. And then continued quietly. "Then the next three years I kept wishing you'd propose to me… And the last few times we've driven by, I wished that we'd get to move back here."

Troy swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "Wow." He spoke quietly. He slowly turned the car onto the opposite end of Sycamore. His heart was pounding in his throat as they approached Gabriella's former and future home.

He had tried to formulate some elaborate plan in his head for the moment she saw the 'For Sale' sign in the front yard. But every scenario he imagined just jumped back to the simple image that Jack had conjured up in Colorado. So, Troy had just stopped thinking about that. He didn't know how she would react but in the next few moments he would find out.

Troy cleared his throat gently and watched her as they gradually got closer to the address. As soon as the house came into view Gabriella turned to face him with tears in her eyes. "Wildcat?"

"Did you ever happen to wish for this to be home again?" he asked as he turned into the driveway.

Her eyes glued to the real estate sign until she noticed the 'Sold' attachment at the top of that sign. She again turned toward her husband. "But it's already sold." She nearly whimpered as the tears started falling from her eyes.

Troy thought again of Jack's dramatic effect. He couldn't do that to his wife. She was already crying. And Troy had never been able to press issues with Gabriella when she was crying. Happy or sad tears he always managed to take her in his arms and make the tears go away.

So he put the car in park, released his seat belt and put one hand on her cheek to swipe at the tears. With his other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keychain that held a single house key.

"I'm only gonna ask one more time…" Troy began again as Gabriella stared at the key and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Did you ever happen to wish for _this_ to be home again?"

Gabriella sobbed as she crossed the console of the car and wrapped her arms around Troy's neck. He felt her nod and heard her whisper, "Yes."

In that moment Troy remembered the night that he had proposed to Gabriella, formally proposed. With arms wrapped around his neck that night she had cried and gasped, "Yes." Followed by, "How do you always know how to make my wishes come true?"

He hadn't answered her question that night. He had simply held her and followed her lead after slipping the diamond engagement ring on her finger. That was five years ago now. And apparently Troy Bolton hadn't lost his touch. He was still able to make his wife's wishes come true.

"You…you've done it again Wildcat." Gabriella stuttered with her face pressed to his neck. "You've made another wish come true haven't you?"

Troy smiled knowing that she was in complete shock and yet in a blissful state of happiness. "Would you like to go see _our_ house Mrs. Bolton?"

Gabriella clung to her husband for just another minute or two. She finally allowed him to pull away from her and step out of the car. Troy came to the passenger side and opened the door for her to get out as well. He held the key up again and then placed it in Gabriella's shaking hands.

"We can really go in?" she nearly whispered and watched as Troy nodded at her. "Can we go through the back door?"

Again Troy nodded. "Apparently, your wish is my command." He smiled and watched her wipe a few more tears from her cheeks.

Gabriella laughed and began to wander toward the back gate. They both laughed when she tugged at the heavy gate and heard it squeak. "I thought I oiled that thing." Troy quipped.

"Ten years ago you oiled it." Gabriella noted. Her voice stalled as they entered the back yard and Troy's arm stretched out in front of her making them both stop in their tracks.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

Troy took her by the hand and walked past the back door toward the two large trees. "That wasn't there earlier." He noted under his breath.

He felt Gabriella squeeze his hand as they both looked at the hammock that was hung between the trees. "Something wrong Wildcat?"

Troy shook his head and picked up the folded piece of paper that was woven into the hammock strings. He laughed. "Dad went out for beer…he and Chad ended up hanging a hammock. I wondered what took him so long." His smile widened as he wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"What's the note say? Wait…Coach knows, and Lucille?" Gabriella was so overwhelmed she wasn't sure what Troy was saying or what she was asking.

Troy looked at the note again. "It says, 'I know you remember this place with a hammock. Chad and I hope this'll bring back some good memories. And, this could be my bed if your mom kicks me out of the house.'" They both laughed.

Silence fell between them as they each tried to take in the reality. "Dad knows," Troy stated. "Obviously. He's the one who told me the house was for sale. Mom probably knows by now, but she didn't know. That's why Dad and I didn't really want her tagging along today."

Gabriella didn't say a word. She stepped away from Troy and slowly turned herself in a circle looking around the yard. Her gaze stopped on the balcony and her smile widened, overtaking her entire face.

Troy watched her effortlessly and saw the look on her face. He was thrilled that he could make another of her dreams come true. But that look meant that she was about to ask something more of him.

"There's no trellis, and I'm not climbing the tree. Don't even think about it." He watched his wife as she turned toward him with the same look still on her face.

She stepped back toward him and took Troy by the hand. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled up at him. "There's something, um, that I've wanted to do…at this house…since the night you told me I had to go to Stanford."

Gabriella pulled Troy behind her as she pushed the key into the door and led him into the house that was so familiar to both of them. It didn't feel quite as warm as it used to, but that would change. Troy swore he could still smell Maria's brownies baking in the kitchen.

But Gabriella pulled him through the kitchen, up the stairs and into the room attached to the balcony. The walls were bare. There was no furniture in this bedroom yet. Still, the minute Gabriella pulled Troy through the door she felt at home again.

She immediately kicked off her shoes and let her toes feel the soft carpet beneath her feet. Troy watched as she put her hands on his chest and unbuttoned the single button that was fastened on his shirt.

"Do you remember that night Wildcat? You hoisted the picnic basket up here and snuck in over the balcony." She offered the beginning of the memory.

Troy wrapped his arms around her waist. "We ate margarita pizza and shared chocolate covered strawberries…and you tried to convince me that you didn't need to go to Stanford."

Gabriella nodded. "You didn't agree with me. You told me I couldn't pass up that opportunity. And then you proceeded to climb back down that tree…and my heart broke."

Troy looked out the balcony doors at the tree that he had climbed so many times. He took a deep breath sharing the memory of that heartbreak.

Gabriella placed a soft hand against his cheek and turned his focus back to her. "There was another opportunity that I missed that night. You have to help me make up for it right now."

Troy felt her skin heat as she pulled his face toward hers and instigated a kiss that began with pure passion and ended with them naked on the carpeted floor.

Wrapped in her Wildcat's arms Gabriella wanted him to know her thoughts before they made love. "Troy, my heart broke that night because I thought you were really willing to let me say goodbye. And it broke because I wanted to make love to you right here and I missed that opportunity. I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to make love to you again, especially not here. We're not missing that opportunity again."

Troy didn't argue with her. He only commented by gently rolling her onto the carpet and giving her the attention that she had wanted a decade before.

He reached for his wallet as the passion continued to grow but Gabriella grabbed his arm and met his gaze. "You said when we got home…"

Troy's heart pounded even harder as they made love without the thin barrier of protection. "Welcome home Gabriella." He managed the words as they reached their peaks together.

Home. For Troy and Gabriella Bolton, that night, home included being back in familiar surroundings, in each other's arms, being back home with family, and, starting their own.

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**KTZLF! -adc  
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	6. When Love Begins

**Hi All! These chapters are soooo out of order now that I can barely keep them straight myself. I apologize! This one could actually be chapter 2, so here's the set-up: Troy, Gabriella, Mac & Becca Beth have returned home to their house after the girls spent several hours with Grammy and Papa Jack Bolton. Mac (Maria Lucille) brought home the Senior Year DVD from Jack & Lucille's house...if you remember chapter one, this was one of the DVD's that Becca found in Troy's old bedroom. If you don't remember chapter one...who does now?...don't hesitate to go back and read it again! ha ha! :D**

**As always, I don't own HSM, the characters or anything related to it other than wonderful memories, magazines, well-worn DVD's, CD's and other trinkets. I have the utmost respect for the actors, actresses and the awesome production crew that brought this generation-changing phenomena into our lives. (And can I add that I hope they will bring us additional parts of this phenomena in the future - with the original cast, PLEASE? - she requests with a smile and a blush! :) )**

**And please read, hope you enjoy, and review or PM me! KTZLF! -adc

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When Troy offered to take the kids out for ice cream he and Gabriella were both shocked that Mac turned down the offer. She had been really quiet since they got home. Her parents assumed she was just tired from softball, and maybe she was missing her little brother just a little. Jon Jack did pick on his sisters quite often.

But turning down ice cream wasn't something the 10-year-old girl usually did. So Troy asked her a second time. "No thanks." Was Mac's simple response. Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and placed a kiss on Troy's cheek before she headed to get the laundry out of the dryer.

Troy grabbed a babbling Becca Beth and assured her that they were heading for ice cream. He instructed his oldest daughter to put away her softball gear and make sure her uniform was together for the next day's game. Mac just nodded and plopped down on the couch with the tv on.

She watched her dad and little sister head out of the house and made sure they pulled out of the driveway before she dug into her equipment bag and pulled out the Senior Year DVD that her Grammy Luce had let her borrow. Mac's young mind just couldn't wrap itself around the fact that her parents had found love as teenagers.

As much as she had groaned about the kisses and her father's comment about marrying her mother, Mac had been drawn in by their high school performance.

She kept a firm hold on the DVD as she carried her bag out to the garage and placed it in the former Wildcat gym locker that Troy had confiscated when they remodeled the East High locker rooms. There were three of those lockers in the garage. Each held a name of the Bolton children.

With the bag in its proper place Mac climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She placed the DVD in the player on her tv but paused it while she carried out her father's other instruction. She hung her uniform together, socks and all, and then sat down on her bed with the remote control in hand.

Gabriella wandered up the stairs as well with the laundry basket full of clean clothes to put away. She glanced around the living room but didn't see her daughter. She fully expected to see Mac on the couch watching tv, but the girl was nowhere in sight.

As she came to the top of the stairs she heard singing coming from Maria Lucille's room. Gabriella put the clothes down on her and Troy's bed and then wandered back down the hall. The music was definitely from the senior musical production, and it was coming from Mac's room. She knocked gently on her daughter's door and poked her head inside.

"What'cha watching?" Gabriella said as Mac quickly paused the DVD.

"Grammy let me borrow the DVD we were watching over there. It's the Senior Year one." She admitted honestly. Mac was a little embarrassed that she was watching this, but she wouldn't lie about it.

"Oh," Gabriella answered curiously. "You okay? I thought you didn't like watching me and Daddy in the shows."

"No. I never said that." The 10 year old said quietly.

"Mac, what's wrong?" Gabriella walked on into the room and knelt down beside her daughter's bed. The DVD was stopped at the scene on the balcony again where Gabriella and Troy were singing to each other. Troy held Gabriella in his arms, swinging her around.

"You and Dad…you really knew you were in love, in high school?" Mac asked without looking at her mom.

Gabriella thought back to the musical. She thought back again to starting at East High. And she thought back to that New Year's Eve when she and Troy first met. "Yeah. I don't know how to explain it to you. But we did know. Daddy knew before I did." Gabriella laughed.

"I thought girls were the ones who always fall in love first." Mac commented innocently.

"Oh, Baby, you've got a lot to learn. I hope and pray that love will hit you, like it hit us, but it's not always like that. We are just a couple of a lucky few. It hasn't been easy, but the love has been there, all along." Gabriella looked at her daughter's face. She looked as though she wanted to ask more, but just wasn't sure.

"What Baby? You can ask me anything." Gabriella realized she hadn't had a real sit-down chat with her oldest daughter in quite a while.

"When did Dad tell you that he loved you? And did you say it back to him, right away? Were you sure that you loved him when you said it?" Gabriella stared at her daughter, unsure of where to start. The young lady was filled with questions beyond her years. Questions about a subject that Gabriella wanted to talk about, but didn't know how detailed she should get. This time it was Gabriella's turn to take a walk back in time.

----------

_The curtain closed on Twinkle Towne. The crowd rose to their feet and the stars of the show walked back on stage for a final bow. Troy grasped Gabriella's hand as he had during the previous four shows and bowed as she curtsied toward the crowd._

_But after this final performance he pulled her closer to him and gently wrapped his arms around her. They had shared 'stage' kisses between their characters. On the day of the callbacks, now known as Triple Win Friday, they had nearly kissed, but Chad had interrupted._

_After that final bow, Troy wanted a real kiss from his girlfriend, and he wanted it right there. Gabriella noted the look of determination in his eyes. It was a soft look, but she knew he was going to get what he was after. _

_With their microphones turned off Troy looked directly into her eyes. "You may not believe this Gabriella Montez, but I love you." And after that statement he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers._

_In her state of shock Gabriella still didn't resist. With his arms wrapped around her waist she had grasped onto his arms and held on, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers._

_When Troy pulled away she just kept looking at him. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Their focus was on each other until a few hands began to clap in the audience. Troy turned his face toward the crowd first and_ _smiled. Jack, Lucille and Maria stood smiling while others around them were making their way out of the auditorium. _

_Troy knew they didn't hear what he said to Gabriella, but they witnessed the kiss. Gabriella stood smiling, dumbfounded but smiling there on the stage, still wrapped in Troy's embrace._

----------

Gabriella looked at Mac and her scrunched up nose. She wasn't 'eww'ing' or 'yucking' as she had at her grandparent's house, but Gabriella could tell that kissing was about as much as she would tell her daughter. She was far too young to hear about anything more than that.

But Gabriella could still feel Troy's embrace, his kiss, from that moment on the stage. It was the first time in her life that Gabriella had heard the words 'I love you' from the mouth of someone other than her mother, father or grandparents.

She remembered the tingling feeling that went through her body when Troy said it to her. And, she remembered believing him. But still she couldn't bring herself to say the words to him.

That fact didn't stop Troy's advances. In his mind and heart, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Even if Gabriella didn't love him yet, she would. He was determined to make sure she would.

"Mimi and Grammy said Dad climbed up to the balcony of this house for you right after you met." Mac's words pulled Gabriella from her first real kiss remembrance. She nodded at her daughter and smiled.

"Yeah. He had hurt my feelings and was trying to apologize to me but I didn't want to listen at school. So, your stubborn father came over here and knocked on the door one night." Gabriella remembered that evening quite well. Her emotions had been through a virtual train wreck and she didn't know how to explain any of it to Maria, except that this 'Troy' fellow had said some really mean things.

"Well if he knocked on the door, why didn't Mimi just let him in so you could talk?" Mac's confusion was obvious. Gabriella understood it. She had been completely confused herself that night.

"She was going to, I think, but I told her not to." Gabriella climbed up onto Mac's bed beside her and glanced at the tv screen. Senior Year had happened a year after Twinkle Towne. And what a difference a year had made.

"Maria Lucille, your dad is a very determined man. He's been that way ever since I first met him. And that night, when Mimi told him that I was busy he didn't give up. He came into the back yard and climbed up the trellis and over onto the balcony." Gabriella leaned her shoulder against her daughter's.

"I'm pretty sure we were both in love that night. But Daddy admitted it after our last Twinkle Towne show. Right on stage, he told me that he loved me." Gabriella stared at the tv screen again.

Mac watched her mother's face. The easy smile was there. The smile that Gabriella wore every time she looked at pictures of Troy, and nearly every time that she looked at him, period. "Did you say it right back to him?" The pre-teen asked with a smile of her own on her face.

"I think I wanted to." Gabriella realized she had never talked to anyone about this, not even Maria. "But I know I was scared to." She looked back down at the comforter on Mac's bed and began to pick at the material.

"What was so scary about it? Did you think you guys were gonna break up or something?" Mac asked sincerely. Gabriella realized her young mind didn't really know the difference between the love of family members and the romance type of love. And, she decided quickly that they weren't going too far into that discussion…not today.

"It's kinda hard to explain. You, me, Daddy, Jon and Becca and all our family…we love each other. But Daddy and I also share a special kind of love. It's a love you'll learn about as you get older, and we'll talk about it more. Let's just say, it's the 'kissing' kind of love. The kind that you don't like to see me and Daddy do…especially when we're out in public." Gabriella chuckled at the rolling eyes of her daughter.

"Yeah, that kind." She laughed again. "I guarantee you won't roll your eyes when you find someone that you want to share those kisses with!"

Mac fell backwards onto her pillow. "Mom! I'm only 10."

"I know that! So, let's just say that moms and dads share that kissing kind of love. And, even though your Daddy kissed me after the show and told me he loved me, I wasn't completely sure that I felt the same way. I thought I did, but I was really nervous. We were only 16 or 17 and just in high school."

Mac sat back up and looked at her mom. "That's not when most couples fall in love?"

Gabriella looked at her a bit confused. "I don't think so Sweetheart, why?"

"Well" the 10-year-old started, "You and Daddy…well at least Daddy…fell in love in high school. So did Grammy and Papa Jack, and Mimi says she loved Zayde in high school too." Now Mac stared at her mother for a moment while Gabriella tried to process that information.

"I'd forgotten all that. But you're right. We all did fall in love in high school." Gabriella repeated the fact quietly. She remembered one family discussion in particular a couple of years before when she, Troy, Lucille, Jack and Maria compared wedding photographs. Mac had been in the room and looked at the photos as well. Gabriella never thought the girl had actually listened to the discussion.

"A lot of things happen in high school Maria." Gabriella thought about the 18 months she spent at East High. "There are a lot of choices that have to be made. Teenagers begin to think they are adults because they have to make some serious decisions. And…even when a couple think they are in love…sometimes other decisions have to be made…and they realize maybe it wasn't true love after all."

Gabriella looked at her oldest daughter's brown eyes and saw a hint of her own youth sitting in them. A curiosity to understand what she was being told was evident. A need to ask more questions was obvious. So Gabriella gave Maria Lucille a few minutes to process what she had just been told.

"But that didn't happen to you and Dad. You guys stayed together. You pretty much went to college together. I know Dad went to Berkeley and you were at Stanford but those aren't that far apart. And wait…you still haven't told me when _you_ realized you were in love."

Gabriella swallowed roughly. She sat quietly staring at her daughter's blanket. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly this felt like an inquisition. How could her own 10 year old be asking such questions. And why were the questions pulling up memories from the deepest parts of her heart.

"It seems like things happened so fast between me and your dad, now that you're asking about it." Gabriella laughed nervously. "Honestly, between you and me? I _told_ him that I loved him about a month after he told me. But I don't think I really meant it until a year later when I told him 'goodbye.'"

Mac tore her young eyes from the screen and whipped her head around to look at the side of her mother's face. "You didn't love Daddy for a whole year?" she questioned with a touch of innocent fear.

Gabriella looked at her and smiled softly. "No, that…that's not what I mean. It's hard to explain. I loved him. From the minute he climbed onto the balcony and convinced me to do those Twinkle Towne callbacks. I loved him." She repeated quietly. "And when I told him that I loved him, we were sitting on Mimi's couch, downstairs in this house, in the living room." Gabriella smiled at the memory.

"It was the day of your Mimi and Zayde's wedding anniversary." The details began to form again in Gabriella's mind. "They would have been married 25 years, that year."

Maria Lucille noted the quivering that began in her mother's voice and sat quietly as she listened to Gabriella's story.

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"_Mama, Troy's coming over to get me. We're just going to go back to his house and watch a movie or something." Gabriella knew exactly what this May date was. It was an emotional day that Maria always handled and yet was rarely mentioned out loud._

"_Fine." Maria answered from the kitchen. The one-word response wasn't like her mother. Gabriella started to move toward her mother when she heard her boyfriend's light knock on the door._

_She opened the front door to Troy's smile. He held out a small bouquet of wildflowers to her. "Happy two-month anniversary." He beamed and leaned forward to share a quick kiss._

_Gabriella wiped a touch of lip gloss off his lips then smiled back at him and accepted the flowers graciously. "I didn't get you anything Wildcat." She admitted._

"_Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, I just picked the flowers out of Mrs. Haggerty's yard next door. Don't tell her. Sorry, I didn't have any money to actually buy you anything." Troy touched the daisies in Gabriella's hands. "So, you ready to go?"_

_Gabriella nodded but then looked back toward the kitchen. She and Maria shared everything. Everything except this day. Each year on this date Maria seemed to keep to herself. This had been her day with Manuel. Their wedding day, their day to celebrate their love. It was the one day each year that Gabriella tried not to pry into her mother's feelings. _

_Troy noticed her hesitation immediately. "What's up?" he questioned._

"_Mom…" Gabriella glanced again toward the other room. She reached for Troy's hand and squeezed it. "This would've been her and my dad's 25__th__ wedding anniversary." She looked into Troy's eyes expecting to see a touch of understanding and a lot of eagerness to get out of this parent-filled house and over to his empty one. Instead she saw a soft determination from the young man who continued to claim that he was in love with her._

"_Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly as he closed the door behind him and ran a thumb across her cheekbone. "We can't just run off to watch a movie and leave your mom here by herself. Not tonight."_

_They stood just inside the door talking for just another minute. "She never wants to talk about it or anything. I think she just doesn't want to make me sad. It's kinda like this every year." Gabriella squeezed his hand again and looked up into Troy's eyes for any hint of an argument. All she found was a thoughtful, caring gaze._

"_Can I borrow a couple of those daisies?" Troy asked and reached to take back part of the makeshift bouquet that he had given her._

_Gabriella looked at him curiously as Troy thought for a moment. Finally he asked more. "Do you have any pictures, maybe a photo album with your dad in them?"_

_She nodded hesitantly as Troy continued. "This may not be a good idea. But can we try something?" Gabriella nodded slowly again. "Let me play the bad guy here, if that's possible. Or at least let me ask the dumb questions." He placed a finger under her chin and raised it until their eyes met again. "I love you, remember? If Maria's hurting I know you're hurting. And if you're hurting, so am I."_

_With that he took a few of the flowers from her hands and directed Gabriella to go get the photo album he had requested. While she went to retrieve it Troy headed to the kitchen._

"_Mrs. Montez?" he entered the kitchen slowly, not sure how she would react to his presence. When Maria turned and looked at him he could tell she had been crying. He could also smell the brownies baking in the oven._

_Maria quickly turned her back on the teenager. "I thought you were taking Brie back to your house." She admitted through a wavering voice._

"_We were." Troy said cautiously and stepped farther into the aromatic room. "But Brie told me what today is. A 25__th__ anniversary shouldn't be celebrated alone. Not when you have a beautiful, loving daughter who wants to share it with you."_

_Maria didn't say anything. She pulled a tea towel from the cabinet and placed it over her eyes momentarily to try and catch her tears. "You know you can kick me out if you want to. But I'd really like to hear more about your husband. I bet it would give me a little more information about your daughter too." _

_Troy held a soft smile on his face as Maria turned back around to face him. He held the flowers out toward her. "Can I trade you these for some brownies?" his blue eyes screamed 'flatterer' while his voice spoke 'please let me help'._

_Maria accepted the flowers and quickly found a vase to put them in. "I don't want to upset Brie. She knows I usually just spend this day moping around. I'd rather not upset her even more." Maria admitted to her blue-eyed guest._

"_Well, we aren't going anywhere. I really think she'd like you to talk about it too. This day, I mean." Troy jerked a little as the oven timer went off before he could say anything else. He didn't hear Gabriella walk in behind him._

_Maria bent toward the oven and tested the brownies. "Perfect." She whispered and pulled the pan out. "Just the way Manuel liked them." She sniffled._

"_That's why you make brownies all the time." Troy caught on quickly, stood up and walked over to Maria. "Mr. Montez probably loved all of your cooking." He dared to place a hand on her shoulder._

_Maria laughed a short, quiet chuckle. "I burned the brownies the first time I tried to make them for him." She lifted the towel to wipe her eyes again. "He ate them anyway."_

_They both heard Gabriella's tears begin behind them and turned to see her standing at the table, leaning on the chair Troy had abandoned. Troy stepped back to her side and wrapped his arms around her allowing Maria to see the sentiment that he obviously held for both of them._

_The threesome spent the next two hours looking at pictures, talking about the wedding that happened 25 years before and the precious young lady who was the result of their love. After tears of sadness and remembrance were replaced by the giggles of memories and some teasing, Maria left the young couple and retreated to bed._

_Troy and Gabriella sat on the couch and finished looking through one last photo album. "Thank you." Gabriella whispered as she closed the book and laid her head onto Troy's shoulder._

"_For what?" Troy asked sincerely._

"_You really are amazing. One night you climb up to my balcony and sweep me off my feet. Two months later you come in here and help my mom remember just how much she loves my dad. And you let both of us know that it's ok to remember that love cause it was true love…and nothing can take that away. Not even his death can take that away." Gabriella stopped to think about what she was saying._

_Troy stayed quiet, not knowing how to respond to her. He felt her shiver a little and raised his arm to put it around her shoulders and pull her closer to him. He felt Gabriella twist just a little and put her hand over his heart._

"_Troy?" she wondered if he was even paying attention to her._

"_Hmmm?" he answered and placed his other hand over hers on his chest._

"_What you did tonight, for mom, and for me. I know you love me. And after this…I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you too."_

_Troy smiled. He felt his heart rate increase ten times its normal rhythm. And he was pretty sure Gabriella could feel it too. He still wasn't sure what to say so he simply held her hand tighter against his chest and squeezed his other arm around her._

"_I, I know that's hard for you to say Gabriella." Troy finally spoke and loosened his grip enough to make her turn and look at him. "But I promise you, I do love you, and your mom too. And in time it won't be hard for you to say. Because you'll know that ours is true love too. I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not going to let you go either."_

_He bent and placed a kiss on her lips that lasted more than just a moment. He felt her fingers wrap behind his neck to hold the kiss. Gabriella finally pulled back just enough to detach their mouths. "Happy two month anniversary Troy. I love you too."_

_----------_

"You still weren't sure?" Mac ventured to ask with wide eyes that just couldn't understand.

Gabriella smiled at her daughter. The sandy brown hair on her head matched her father's. Gabriella reached up and ran a finger through it catching a couple of tangles. "I told you Baby, it's hard to understand. My heart knew I was in love with Troy but my mind just wasn't convinced. When Daddy and I had our one-year dating anniversary I was convinced. My mind and my heart believed then that we loved each other." She stopped short of mentioning the physical part of that belief.

"So then you and Dad decided to go to colleges close to each other and it's happily ever after, plus three kids now." Mac chimed in thinking she had it all figured out.

Gabriella chuckled. "You would think. But of course, your mom here couldn't make it that easy."

Troy appeared in the doorway with a sleeping Becca on his shoulder. "This sounds like a conversation I want to hear." He raised his eyebrows at his wife and watched his oldest daughter roll her eyes. Gabriella stood up and kissed him lovingly on the lips and then took their sleeping daughter from his arms.

"I just finished telling Mac about the first time I told you that I loved you…remember, on Mom and Dad's anniversary?" She watched as Troy nodded his head at the memory. "And I was starting to tell her that I tried to back out on you before we even got to college."

Mac's eyes grew wide again as Gabriella left the room to put Becca down and Troy joined his oldest daughter on her bed. "Okay, I don't know what started this conversation…" he smiled though as Mac pointed her remote control toward the tv screen.

"Ah. Well, let me sum it up this way. Your mom kept telling me that she loved me. But, she got this awesome offer to go to Stanford before she even graduated from high school. She knew I was planning on going to U of A." Troy tried to explain.

Mac stopped him. "What do you mean U of A? You went to Berkeley."

Troy sighed. "Yeah but that was only decided after your mom tried to break my heart."

The young girl shook her head but pushed on her father's shoulder urging him to continue as Gabriella walked back into the room. Maria Lucille tried to ignore the fact that Troy pulled Gabriella into his lap before continuing his side of the story.

He wrapped his arms around his wife to keep her secured before he spoke again. "I knew she was going to Stanford. She knew I had a scholarship wrapped up to go to U of A. What I didn't know was that she got this great chance to go out to Stanford before she graduated from East High. I had to pull it out of her by bribing her with pizza and chocolate-covered strawberries."

"I didn't want to leave you." Gabriella interjected and gripped onto Troy's shirt as she remembered watching him climb down the tree after telling her that she had to go. "If you had just told me that Berkeley was even a possibility…"

Troy squeezed her shoulder. "Baby, that was a month before graduation. I thought we still had weeks together to discuss what was happening. But there we sat with you telling me 'goodbye.' I could barely think straight enough to climb back down the tree."

"So wait again…" their daughter interrupted a would-be argument, not wanting a would-be makeup session to begin in her room.

"So Mom ran off to Stanford early? And what about the love thing? But you were both in the musical…well you were late for some reason but you're definitely in it." Maria Lucille's eyes focused again on the screen.

Gabriella tried to continue. "Yes, I went off to the Honors Program at Stanford. I was supposed to come back for prom. But every time I talked to your dad on the phone my heart just ached and I ended up crying every time we hung up. I knew if I came back here and you," she turned her focus back to Troy, "still went to U. of A. then I would be crushed. I was having a really, really hard time believing in true love while I was in California without you." She responded honestly.

"So you decided not to come back for prom or the show or anything." Troy added as he looked into his wife's eyes.

"I thought if I didn't come back the love would go away." Gabriella admitted quietly.

Troy's heart froze. They had talked about this so many times before. But she had never admitted that in their previous conversations. "Did it?" he asked unwillingly.

Gabriella felt him tense. She knew exactly why and didn't hesitate to answer. "No." was her simple reply. Then she added, "Between the time that I tried to say 'goodbye' over the phone and you showed up in the quad for prom night I had convinced myself of two things…one, I really was in love with you. And two, I had just screwed up the only love of my life and I didn't know how to fix it."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I showed up in the quad and brought you back home so we could straighten all that out." Troy smiled and squeezed her again.

Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's chest. "Yeah. Good thing."

They heard Maria Lucille's frustrated sigh from the bed beside them. "Okay, so apparently Dad came and got you…yada, yada, yada…came back to Albuquerque, did a song and dance together, graduated, went to college in Cali and you're still in love today. Does that pretty much sum this up?" the young girl watched in near horror as her parents nodded then shared a 'tongue in cheek' kiss that would forever make their oldest daughter cringe.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys NOT to do that in front of me? Please??? Geez, it's even embarrassing when there's nobody here but us. Would you do that in front of your parents?" Mac lauded herself for thinking about that.

Her father looked up at her with a playful smile. "We have, and we will. Thank you very much."

With that Troy pushed Gabriella up from his lap and proceeded to stand up himself. "I think our daughter's had enough talk about love for one day." He reported.

Gabriella laughed but turned back around quickly when Mac asked for her attention. "But Mom? So when was it that you started learning about that 'kissing' kind of love? You and dad sure seem to enjoy it a lot." The 10-year-old thought she had her parents cornered somewhat.

Gabriella grasped onto Troy's hand before he could get all the way out of his daughter's bedroom. She turned him around to look directly into his eyes. "Your Mimi and I talked about it after Zayde died, a little bit. But I didn't understand it until I was 16 and this blue-eyed hottie climbed onto my balcony and sang to me."

Mac shook her head at the scene unfolding in front of her. She would never admit it to her parents but she loved it. Knowing they loved each other and had for such a long time. Maria Lucille loved it.

"So if I meet some guy on vacation when I'm like 15, and sing karaoke with him...can we move to his hometown…and can I have the bedroom with the balcony?" she raised her eyebrows when her father looked back in her direction.

Troy gave her a thumbs down sign and a wink for an answer. "Just stick to softball and making fun of your mom and me. But I can promise you this. IF we ever move anywhere besides this house, we get first dibs on the bedroom with a balcony. And if I'm still around, you won't know about the 'kissing' kind of love till you're at least 25."

Mac pouted and gave a fake frustrated grunt as she lied back onto her pillows and hit play again on the DVD player.

As Gabriella and Troy made their way back into their cherished bedroom they heard one more question from their oldest daughter. "Why again were you late to the Senior Year show?"

They decided with a simple grin between them, that she would have to wait for that answer until she was at least 40.

**________________________________________________________________**


	7. Here to Help

**HSM3 hits Disney Channel USA on April 4th! Yay! I'm ready for a trilogy marathon - who's with me?**

**As always, I own nothing of HSM except several tubs full of trinkets and mementos. I hold the utmost respect for the actors and awesome production crew that brought this generation changing phenomena into our lives! Thank YOU!**

**Reviews & PM's are always welcome. Please, feed my addiction, and always KTZLF! -adc

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Gabriella sat on the couch in the living room watching her youngest daughter play with the Barbie dolls in the floor. The little girl was completely content, for the moment, making up conversations between the dolls and lording over them. Gabriella smiled softly at the scene, adjusted her reading glasses against the bridge of her nose and then glanced back at her laptop computer.

_Jon Jack had declined his father's offer to 'help' in the yard. The boy was young but not stupid. Troy had laughed when his six-year-old son gave him a pointed look and informed him, "I've done my work for the day, Dad. I played soccer and scored eight goals. What more are you expecting from me?"_

_Troy and Gabriella had watched their son make his way up the stairs and heard the water come on in the bathroom that he shared with his sisters. Gabriella had let the smile cover her face and an infectious giggle escaped her lips when the youngster was out of sight. "So apparently a bit of my intelligence has seeped into him." She poked at her husband. "I honestly thought he was gonna be a pure jock."_

_Troy rolled his eyes and stepped toward his wife to answer her with a quick kiss as he placed his thumb and index finger around her chin to raise her face to his. "No, my darling, what we've created there is a smart jock. That is more dangerous than the bulkiest kid in school. Cause the smart ones can figure out a way around that bulk and score faster than the cheerleaders can flash a dazzling smile at the players."_

_Gabriella raised an eyebrow as she accepted her husband's kiss. "Just how fast can a cheerleader flash that smile?" she asked with no smile on her face. _

_Troy thought for a moment as he pulled the less-than-sexy safety goggles over his eyes to head outside. "I can't remember…since our junior year in high school, yours was the only face I looked for during the games."_

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and smiled when Troy stepped back over and kissed her lips again. "Lines like that are the reason we have three kids you know."_

_Troy chuckled as he went outside. "And the very reason we took measures not to have four!"_

She now heard the weed eater buzzing in the front yard. She looked again at Becca Beth who turned one of the dolls toward her mom. "Who's this one Mommy?"

"Barbie, Sweet Pea. And the boy's name is Ken." She suggested.

Her baby girl picked up the boy doll and made the figure press its lips to those of the female doll. Gabriella furrowed her brow, suddenly very interested in what kind of scene Becca Beth was playing out in that little brain. The little girl ignored her mother's look and apparently the character names she had just provided.

"Toy, not in fwont of da tids." The little voice squeaked. Becca pulled the dolls apart and took the boy doll's hand and placed it somewhat lovingly on the girl doll's behind, patting it gently. Becca's little play continued with a slightly different voice. "Dat's alwight Baby at weast dey know we wuv each odder."

The little girl caused the dolls to kiss again before breaking them apart and heading back over to the other group of stuffed animals that she had placed on the floor. Gabriella just smiled and looked out the living room window to see her husband evening up the grass at their front sidewalk.

She couldn't help but smile and nibble on her bottom lip knowing their youngest daughter was bright enough to pick up on one of their 'adult-only' conversations. Little Miss Mischievous would likely keep them from having a fourth child. She was quite the handful to keep up with.

Between the little one, school and athletic schedules for their two older children, and their own workloads Gabriella was finding the thought of even grocery shopping to be a major task. They were just a couple of weeks into the spring schedule routine – if such a beast actually existed – and she was already ready to lock herself in the house.

When the sound of the trimmer ceased outside she simply figured Troy was finished. She went back to the document in front of her on the computer and waited for him to come back in the house so she could steal a sweaty kiss from the love of her life and share with him the scene she had just witnessed.

----------

Troy was a little shocked to see the Volvo sedan pull up in their driveway. When the family had left Jon Jack's soccer game that morning, nothing had been said about an afternoon meeting with his mother. And as he glanced closer it wasn't just Lucille Bolton sitting in the car, but his mother-in-law occupied the passenger seat.

Troy quickly turned off the weed-eater, slid the safety glasses to the top of his head and walked over to the car. He opened the door for Maria and tried to hide the worry that had invaded his head.

"Hey Moms." He tried to keep his voice calm but his eyes betrayed him. "Everything ok?"

Maria stepped out of the car and stood momentarily next to her son-in-law. She smiled and placed a hand on his sweaty cheek. Troy noted that both women were wearing jeans, t-shirts and sweaters indicating that they weren't here for a shopping excursion.

Gabriella's mom smiled at him and moved her hand from his cheek, but tiptoed to kiss him in that same spot, which worried Troy even more. He looked down into Maria's eyes which matched Gabriella's. "What's up?" he tried to ask again.

"Everything is fine Troy. Just, after talking to Gabriella at Jon Boy's game this morning, we decided that she needs a little break." Maria answered him.

The worried look only deepened in Troy's eyes. He was supposed to know his wife better than anyone. He was supposed to be in tune with her. Their connection was deeper than anything Troy had ever experienced…and it had been since the second time they met. If Gabriella needed a break, why didn't he see it?

"A break from me?" He smiled and tried to laugh, albeit nervously.

"No Sweetheart." Lucille answered from across the top of the car as she began to head toward the house. "_We_ think she could probably use some Gabriella and Troy time, without the kids. Do you think you could possibly dote on your wife for a couple of days?"

"Have I missed something?" Troy's nervousness was now beginning to show through his joking front.

Lucille walked around the front of the car and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Just call it Mothers' Intuition, Darling. Gabriella has just made some little comments over the past few weeks." She looked into Troy's worried eyes and rubbed a thumb across his cheek. "Honey she loves you and the kids and will make every little twist and turn in your lives work. But sometimes even the most devoted 'moms' need a little break from mothering."

Troy looked down at his hands for a moment trying to understand what Lucille and Maria were telling him. He obviously had missed some signs that Gabriella needed a break. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful to their mothers, or concerned that it was them, and not him, coming to the rescue.

Maria placed a hand on his back and encouraged Troy to come with them into the house. "We're taking the kids Troy. Lucille and I are both off Monday and Tuesday. Jack is off Monday as well. Luce and Jack have pulled some strings and you and Briella are off on Monday as well. What the two of you do with the time off is up to you. But we'll have the kids. They won't miss school, they won't miss a practice, they'll be in good hands."

As they approached the front door Troy stopped and shook his head. "Wait, you've arranged for us to have Monday off? Gabriella's got a trial that starts on Monday. I've got a team on the way to the state tournament. We can't miss work right now."

Lucille raised a finger to his lips. "That's exactly the reaction we're expecting from Gabriella. This is why we didn't ask either of you about this. We know she's going to fight us about it. Your role in this plan is to assure her that it's all fine…because it is. There is _nothing_ more important than keeping her happy Troy. She's putting on a good front. But here's a chance for a little break. Help her take it."

Troy looked at his mother's eyes and shifted his own back and forth across her face. He looked at Maria who simply nodded in agreement with Lucille.

"She's not going to like this." Troy shook his head as he thought more about their impromptu plan.

"And you're going to feel the brunt of that disapproval." Lucille looked pointedly at Troy's face. "But neither of you have a choice. We're taking the kids. You're taking care of your wife. No questions asked. The court case will begin on Tuesday due to a family emergency. Your team captain and assistant coaches will take care of Monday's workout." Troy looked down at his feet as though he was receiving a punishment.

When he looked back up and saw the parental faces looking back at him he only had one choice. He nodded and then proceeded to open the front door and let his mothers into their house.

"Hey Wildcat you're gonna love this..." Gabriella began when she heard the door open. "Becca Beth made her dolls kiss and…" her voice stopped abruptly when she saw the faces of not only Troy, but her mom and mother-in-law looking back at her.

"What's going on?" she asked suddenly, easily reading beyond the smiles that were positioned on the grandmothers' faces. "Is Coach ok?" Gabriella quickly formed a concerned look on her face and widened her eyes as she removed her reading glasses.

Maria smiled at her. "The Coach is just fine. It's you we're a little worried about. You need a break Honey."

Gabriella looked at Troy and then back at the other women. "When don't I need a break?" she attempted to joke.

Lucille was the one who walked over and sat down on the couch beside her daughter-in-law. Troy excused himself momentarily to simply wash the yard work off his hands and face. Maria came and removed the laptop computer from its indentations on Gabriella's legs.

"We," Lucille pointed between herself and Maria, "each had one child. And Maria knows far better than I do that you just reach a breaking point. Every mom does."

Maria nodded before Gabriella could comment. "When you start believing that you can handle it all on your own something smacks you and reminds you that you aren't Wonder Woman. So before you get to that point, we're here to help." Maria watched as Lucille ran a hand through Gabriella's soft hair.

Gabriella threw them each a confused look and then looked past them to see Troy standing with his arms crossed against the doorframe. "I have no clue what you're talking about." She shared, but the look on her face told Troy especially, that their mothers were correct.

"Do you remember what we were talking about at Jon's game today?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella thought back to their conversation. She didn't think of it as anything more than what they normally talked about at any of the kids' games. Maria, Lucille and Papa Jack tried their best to make as many of the soccer, softball and basketball games that they could. Even helping transport the kids if Troy was tied up coaching games, or if Gabriella had an intense case load.

"We were just talking about the kids' schedules. Isn't that what we normally talk about?" Gabriella looked toward Troy for some indication of what was going on. He crossed his arms a little tighter around his chest and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Sweetheart," Maria sat down on the other side of Gabriella and placed a hand on her daughter's thigh. "You were rambling off dates and times like a computer scheduling service. You were talking about Troy's upcoming trip and how you were planning to get the kids to and from all the stuff they're involved in."

Gabriella looked at her mom and shrugged her shoulders.

"Not once did you ask for us to help you. You talked about taking off work to make everything happen while Troy's gone. You never asked me to come spend a single night with you while he's out of town. Usually I spend a couple of nights here while the state tournament is going on." Maria seemed a bit hurt.

"And Jack said you haven't even talked to him about the Wildcats this season. I know the two of you end up going out for a beer after a couple of the games each season." Lucille's statement caused Gabriella's eyes to widen and look over toward her husband. Troy's eyes were also wide and filled with curiosity.

"You do what?" Troy asked quietly as Lucille continued.

"Jack has missed his father/daughter chats this season. He's actually the one who asked me if you were doing ok. Then after talking to Maria we started piecing things together." Lucille watched as Gabriella smiled a bit at Troy and then shook her head.

"I just have a lot on my mind. The kids are into a lot and I've got a big case coming up and Troy will be out of town…" Gabriella started going over the schedule again in her mind.

"And because of that _we_ are going to help you. Whether you ask for it or not, we will be helping you." Lucille attempted to insist.

"No, we'll be just fine." Gabriella argued back lightly. "It'll be a rough week, but we'll be fine."

"Yes, you will, because we will be helping out." Maria now insisted as her hand squeezed Gabriella's leg. "You are not Super Woman. We have been your support team since before you and Troy married. And we will continue to be here and help you as long as we can." Maria's voice was that of the mother Gabriella had clung to in her younger years.

"Mom, I need to do this. You and Lucille…you've raised your kids. Our three are mine and Troy's responsibility. I'll get it worked out. Troy's only gone a week, it's really no big deal." She practically spat the regurgitated words from her mouth.

From across the room Troy finally saw what his mom and Maria had seen earlier that day and the previous week. He stepped forward knowing the lecture wasn't going to change his wife's mind. He wasn't sure why Gabriella wasn't accepting their help. But he now realized that their offer of a few days without the kids was one he would willingly accept.

"Maria," Troy interrupted. "Becca's in the playroom and Jon just got out of the shower. Would you mind checking on them?" he suggested innocently.

Gabriella immediately began to stand up until Lucille grabbed her arm and Troy stood directly in front of her. "Surprise Baby." He smiled at her intense brown gaze knowing his wife would put him through a complete inquisition once they were finally alone.

Troy looked at his mom who still sat by Gabriella's side. "Mom, Dad and Maria are taking the kids for the next couple of days. That way we can have a little time together, without worrying about practice schedules or what field the game is on."

Gabriella situated herself back against the couch and looked at her husband. "Did you plan this? Because we'll be fine Troy. I don't need to bother your mom to help us."

Lucille was a bit taken aback. She had never considered it a bother to help with her grandchildren. "Honey it's no bother…" she began but Troy touched his mom's knee.

"Gabriella, Baby, it's a lot to handle this year. Mac has a lot more practices and Jon's got games and his class…and even Becca has stuff going on. You don't have to handle it all on your own when we have grandparents right here willing to help." Troy tried to ease her nerves.

"I can raise our children Troy. I may not do as well as Lucille did or alone like my mom did, but I can do it. I swear to you I can." The line brought tears to Gabriella's eyes and a look of shock to Lucille's face.

"I'm gonna go help Maria for a minute." Lucille began but Troy stopped her.

"Let me do that. I'll go pack their stuff." Troy pushed himself up using his hands on Gabriella's knees. Her look was a little foreign to Troy but he recognized it as he turned to leave. She was determined to prove something to herself but the process of doing it was eating her up inside. He hadn't seen that look since their senior year in high school.

Gabriella and Lucille sat quietly on the couch for a few minutes as they listened to the sounds of the children's voices getting more and more excited about spending time with their grandparents.

"You raised…a pretty perfect son." Gabriella finally said with her face still pointing away from her mother-in-law. "Guess I've done pretty well hiding that since Jon was born. Having Becca certainly helped." She let her shoulders slump knowing that Lucille was now more confused than she had been just moments ago.

The older woman stretched a hand out and placed it on Gabriella's shoulder. "I'm sorry." Lucille nearly whispered. "I don't understand." Gabriella could hear the tears hiding in Lucille's voice.

She kept her back turned but placed one of her own hands on top of Lucille's on her shoulder. Gabriella used her other hand to gently wipe at her eyes. "I should be the one apologizing." She tried to start again and found herself looking at her own lap.

"When Mac was born, having a baby was new and sharing her was amazing. To see the looks on your face and Coach's and Mom's… We had five years to spoil her and make sure she was heading in the right direction. Then…Jon Jack came along." Gabriella stopped there and took a long breath.

She turned her body to face more toward Lucille's, brining one of her knees up on the couch and tucking it underneath her other leg. "Troy wanted a son, I wanted to give him a son…having a little boy was perfect. And everytime I watch Troy play with the kids, or give you a hug, or work with his players at school…I just can't help but think that _you_ have raised a near-perfect son. Troy is considerate, loving, devoted…and you taught him all those things. I guess when I went back to work, after Jon was born, it started eating at me. How could I possibly raise our son as well as you raised Troy?"

Lucille ducked her head as she listened to Gabriella's words. "You can't…Troy's far from perfect. Our situations are so different. Gabriella, Sweetheart, you can't compare your situation to mine. I was a stay-at-home mom. But…I…" she couldn't find the words to say and began to let the teardrops roll down her cheeks.

"If anything," Lucille worked to think of her words carefully, "I could say that you've been that positive influence on Troy's life. He's a good kid. I won't hesitate to brag on him." She smiled as Gabriella glanced at her face. "But Troy did a LOT of growing up when you entered the picture. He became a lot more considerate of others. He began making his own decisions, truly, adult decisions. And he discussed those decisions with you. He came to me and Jack to tell us about decisions that the two of you had made, not to ask our opinion. So technically Gabriella, you raised Troy at a very critical turning point in his life. If you hadn't come along he wouldn't have discovered the theater. He would have gone to the University of Albuquerque and we wouldn't have questioned his decision. But somewhere down the road he would have. And, he may have regretted that decision. But because of you, he looked at his choices. He really sat down and weighed his options. Berkeley wasn't just because of you. It was because Troy made the choice."

Lucille stopped for a moment and wiped a couple of tears from Gabriella's face and then from her own. "I'm getting off the subject here. I'm a little jealous of you Gabriella Bolton." She smiled at the surprised look on her daughter-in-law's face. "You mean it hasn't been obvious?" Gabriella shook her head gently in answer.

"You have three beautiful children. You manage to hold down a full time job. You are a housekeeper, taxi driver, nurse, chef, wife and so many other occupations all rolled into one. And you keep my son and my grandchildren happy. You brought my son home to me and gave me those grandchildren. How can I _not_ offer to help you from time to time."

Lucille opened her arms and welcomed the warmth of Gabriella's body leaning in to hers. "My Dear. You are absolutely right." She whispered against Gabriella's hair. "You _can_ raise your children. You prove that every day. There is no denying that they are your children. But please don't take them away from me, and Jack and Maria. We know how hard it is for you when Troy is away. What _you_ don't know is how much pride we take in being able to help you during that time."

Gabriella leaned back and looked at Lucille. "They love spending time with you. And I do too." She admitted. "I don't know what hit me. Maybe the schedules…maybe just knowing how much I'm gonna miss Troy when he's gone. It really shouldn't be any different this year. I know that."

Lucille sucked in a breath and looked Gabriella directly in the eye. "Are you pregnant again? Could this be hormones talking??" she asked with a bit of hope in her voice.

Gabriella looked shocked for a moment before answering. "Um…Tubes tied after Becca was born." She pointed to herself. "And remember last year when Troy had some 'minor surgery'?"

Lucille nodded with a slight pout on her lips.

"Little Miss Mischievous, coupled with Little Mr. I-am-Jack-Bolton's-grandson pushed Troy to…well…snip, snip?" Gabriella worked to get her point across.

Lucille's eyes widened. "Troy had a vasectomy?"

Gabriella nodded with a slight blush on her face. Troy didn't really want his parents to know that three was their final count on grandchildren. They loved each one of them so much. But knowing that Gabriella was content with their family at that point he didn't want to put any more pressure on her to have more children. And both would admit, with Troy's surgery – even with three kids in the house – their sex life had found renewed energy as well.

"You didn't hear it from me." Gabriella added as she accepted tissues from Lucille to try and put themselves back together. They looked at each other and laughed.

"So no more arguing about us helping with the kids while Troy's gone to tournament, right?" Lucille came back into her mothering role.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, but can I ask for a little extra help this time?"

Lucille smiled widely. "Anything. Well, almost anything. You aren't going with Troy are you? I am still the grandmother who likes being able to send her grandkids back home after a night or two." She joked.

"I think I owe Coach a couple of beers over ballgames. Do you think I can accomplish that during tournament time?"

Lucille laughed and nodded just as Troy and Maria came back into the room. Before Troy's mom could add anything else to the conversation Gabriella felt her husband's arm wrap around her.

"Things ok in here?" he whispered into her ear and sighed when he felt his wife lean back into his hold around her waist.

"Yeah." Gabriella shared and smiled at the loving looks coming from both of their mothers. "Yeah, just fine."

"So what's this about you and dad having beers and discussing _my_ basketball team? How come I haven't heard about this one?" Troy wondered with only a slight hint of amusement in his voice. "You don't even drink beer." He added with eyebrows scrunched.

"How about you two discussing that once we have the kids all wrapped up and out of here?" Lucille interrupted.

Gabriella looked around the room and noticed the two small suitcases and one medium sized one sitting near the door. "Sorry, but I need to back up a few minutes. What's going on with our kids?"

The sound of a ball bouncing down the steps and two young voices arguing stopped the explanation.

"I gonna sweep wif Gwammy an Papa." Becca practically screamed.

"Uh-uh. You gotta sleep on the floor in the bedroom where there ain't a bed. I'm sleepin' in Daddy's old room."

"No you not!" the voices continued to rise.

Gabriella immediately stood from the couch. When Troy grabbed her hand she simply smiled at him. "I've got this one Babe." She announced with a voice that proclaimed her, Gabriella Bolton – Mother of three.

"Jonathan Jackson Bolton. Ain't is _not_ a word. And you will sleep where Grammy and Papa Jack tell you to sleep. Becca Beth Bolton…" her voice softened slightly. "You like sleeping in the other bedroom, remember? That's where Mommy used to sleep when she came home with Daddy to visit Grammy and Papa before we got married." She tried to remind the four-year-old.

Lucille looked directly at Troy. "So explain to me why I always found you in the spare room and Gabriella in your bed if _she_ was occupying the spare room on those trips??" Troy feigned innocence at his mother's accusing tone.

Maria laughed under her breath and leaned toward Lucille to add her thoughts on the matter. "Be glad they were in the house and not in the tree." Troy managed not to laugh but couldn't hide his blush.

All three of them looked back at Gabriella in the doorway holding Becca and attempting to keep Jon Jack from kicking his soccer ball through the living room window. She cleared her throat and aimed her statement at all of the adults in the room. "Not helping matters here." She plainly stated as Jon Jack looked toward his father and gently tapped the ball in Troy's direction.

"Daddy why would you take a _girl_ up to the tree house? That sounds boring." His six year old voice mumbled.

The look Gabriella sent to Troy was enough to keep him from answering yet it sent Becca scrambling from her mother's arms in search of the dolls she had been playing with earlier.

The parents watched and listened with burning ears as Becca came back toward them with Barbie and Ken…aka Troy and Gabriella. Maria and Lucille nearly choked as they watched their granddaughter playing out a scene she had obviously witnessed at some point.

"Toy did you wock da door?" her little voice tried to inunciate.

"Baby it jus like da twee house." She pushed the dolls lips together making Troy and Gabriella blush in front of their moms. "…as wong as we be qiet…"

Gabriella covered her mouth trying to keep the embarrassed laugh from escaping while Troy stared at his youngest daughter.

Jon Jack proceeded to smack Becca Beth on the back of the head setting off another round of near screams.

And after threatening her youngest children with trips to the doctor instead of to their grandparents' homes, Gabriella turned back to Lucille and Maria.

"You really want them?" she asked with a shake of her head. "If you really want them, please take them. This would be why there are only three Bolton grandchildren." With a sigh she still accepted the raised eyebrows and sexy smile that Troy was sending in her direction.

Lucille and Maria smiled at all of their children that stood before them. Their smiles said it all. They wouldn't have it any other way.

**__________**

**_Scenarios: Hawaii_ _a book by adcgordon_ is now available at AuthorHouse dot com; Amazon dot com; or BarnesandNoble dot com . Thanks for all your support! -adc  
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	8. Jon Jack

**Jules, this one is for you! I pulled from my inner Gabriella, so I hope this lives up to your requests! There may be an additional Jon Jack chapter somewhere down the road, but hopefully this is at least a start! And Erin, thanks for your input on meshing my thoughts together in this one! My life is just one Future Boltons chapter after another. :)  
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**KTZLF! -adc

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The little blond haired boy took his place on the playing field pulling his two teammates by the sleeves of their jerseys. Gabriella watched her son from the sideline in her blue camp chair as Jon Jack moved himself to the outside of the human wall and put the smallest boy, Nick, in the center. Without seeing his eyes you wouldn't know Jon Jack belonged to Gabriella. But to look into his chocolate brown irises anyone would see the resemblance.

She smiled as the boys lined themselves up and Jon Jack encouraged them to spread out just a little. He looked at the other two boys before the referee blew the whistle and gave just a few words of encouragement.

"When they kick it, Nick, you go after the ball. I'll stay back on defense, Tanner, you go to the goal, got it?" his little face was intense as he quietly barked the instructions.

The other two boys looked at him and nodded. On the sideline Gabriella gripped the arms of her chair and glanced over at her husband who had come out of his seat at the start of the second half feigning a chill. Troy smiled at his wife and nodded his head toward the field. "If he doesn't continue playing, he's gonna be a coach." Troy laughed.

"Like father, like son." Gabriella quipped as the teenage referee put the dew-slick soccer ball down on the middle line and attempted to blow the whistle to start play.

"Hey! Nothin' wrong with coachin'." Came the voice on the other side of Gabriella. "You have to know about all the positions on the court to coach, not just the one you like to play." Troy's father commented to Gabriella, who quickly dropped her smile and nodded to him intently.

When the whistle finally sounded Gabriella pointed Papa Jack's attention back to the field. "Pay attention Coach." Her smile crept back on her face. "Your grandson's about to score another goal."

Gabriella sat back in her chair cheering for the Dragon's soccer team as a whole while Jack, Lucille and Maria shouted encouragement specifically to their blond-haired grandson. They watched as little Nick went after the ball, keeping the silver and black octagonal design from rolling toward the opposite goal. Jon Jack was quickly by Nick's side, several little legs and feet kicking at the round object until it bumped off their shin guards and down the field toward the Dragon's side.

Jon Jack pulled back from the pack and headed toward the ball knowing once he had it a goal was imminent. He dribbled the ball between his feet as the other team worked to catch him.

"Nick! Tanner! Go to the goal!" came the shouts from the coaches and some of the parents, including Gabriella. Troy and the grandparents watched intently as their six-year-old took the ball all the way down the field, all the while becoming surrounded by the opposite colored jerseys.

None of them knew how much time was left in the game. Only one player in that practical scrum knew what he was going to do. With all the attention focused on Jon Jack, the middle Bolton grandchild smacked the ball with the inside of his left foot, sending it propelling toward the only member of the Dragon's team that hadn't scored in this game. Nick hesitated for a second, but then gingerly pushed the ball across the goal line and into the net with the toe of his cleat.

Just as the referee blew her whistle again to end the game Gabriella saw Jon Jack and Tanner giving Nick hi-fives and heard her son. "Was that you Nick? Sweet goal! I was trying to pass it right to you!"

Troy glanced down at Gabriella and stepped over behind her. "He made sure Nick got a goal again didn't he?"

Gabriella looked up at her husband and smiled. "Yeah. He could've out run the other team and scored that goal but he gave it to Nick." She looked into Troy's eyes lovingly.

Their simple moment was broken by an enthusiastic hand on Troy's shoulder. "How do you teach him that stuff? That was just…six years old and already knowing to pass to the open kids on your team? You can't teach them that, you just know it. That's just instinct!" Jack Bolton was more than beaming.

Troy helped Gabriella out of her chair and they both headed to the opposite side of the field to retrieve the blanket, Sponge Bob chair, water bottle, ball and most importantly their son. Neither could help grinning ear to ear. Sure, it wasn't basketball, but soccer was Jon Jack's game. And both of them were more than proud of him for his performance in this first game of the spring season.

"Did you see that last goal dad? That was Nick's! Everybody scored in this game! Coach says the final score was like 14 to 3 or something like that." Troy accepted a hi-five from his son as he agreed with the game overview that the little boy was giving.

"Mom, how many scores did I have?" the little brown eyes looked up into the matching ones of his mother and Troy simply watched the two of them together. Gabriella placed her hand on Jon Jack's head and rustled her fingers through his hair.

"If I counted right, you had eight of those Buddy. But I couldn't keep track in that last quarter. You were all over the place and everybody was scoring." Gabriella was just a bit embarrassed to throw Jon's numbers around right there on the sideline, but only because she didn't want the parents from the opposing team to hear them bragging. "I really loved that pass to Nick though. You were helping him and Tanner the whole time today."

Jon Jack smiled up at his mom as the coach wandered over to them. "Yeah. Coach says they can't put me, Emma and Andy in all at the same time cause we'd be way too good. He knows I can help Nick and Tanner learn how to play better, so he put us three in together." Gabriella grinned widely at her son's description and looked up at the coach.

The little boy wandered back toward his teammates as Gabriella looked at the coach waiting for his opinion on the game. The 40'ish year old gentleman looked at Mrs. Bolton and grinned. "Your boy's not lying to you. Everybody on our team is good. Having Nick and Tanner out there with Jon is more of a challenge for them, and Jon's a good coach on the field. If we put Jon Boy out there with Emma and Andy, they'd probably kick our team out of the league cause they'd be scoring so much." He chuckled.

Gabriella grinned at the explanation. "So _we_," she pointed at Jon Jack, "need to work on passing, right?" she asked the coach within earshot of her husband.

Troy jumped into the conversation before the coach could answer. "Brie, most of the time he had no one to pass to. The boy can't just stand there holding the ball waiting for them to catch up to him." Gabriella could hear her husband's own coaching experience coming out of his mouth.

"That's very true." The coach agreed. "And we hope that's what the other kids will begin to pick up on as we get into the games. If Jon gets the ball, the other two just head for the goal. Nine times outta ten Jon's gonna bring that ball down the field with a pack of defenders on his back. If our kids will get open he'll pass it. We saw that right at the end of the game."

They all smiled at each other and Gabriella looked up into Troy's face. "I just don't want him to be known as a ball hog." She commented quietly.

The coach turned to look at her and grinned. "He's not, Gabriella. He's just that good."

Such a simple comment. But it was one that made Gabriella beam all the way back to the minivan.

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"Papa Jack said we're going for ice cream!" Jon Jack happily told his parents as they approached their cars.

"Did Papa Jack bother to look at the time or the temperature?" Gabriella gleamed her beautiful smile at her son. When he grinned back she couldn't help but laugh at the gaping hole where her son's two front teeth should have been.

Jack Bolton looked at his daughter-in-law a bit sheephishly. "I still owe him for the missing teeth. And you gotta admit Sweetheart, that game was awesome. Did you see him score the goal where he slid past the kid and knocked the ball just across the line?" Papa Jack's pride was beaming almost more than Troy and Gabriella's.

Gabriella laughed at her son and father-in-law as Jon Jack worked to re-enact the particular goal that Coach was discussing. "Coach, it's forty degrees out here, and barely ten in the morning. What if we plan on ice cream this afternoon? Look, Jon Boy's still shivering from being out here in the cold as it is."

Grandfather and grandson both looked at Gabriella with pouts on their lips. Both looked at Troy who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He was all-too-often the deciding factor in these important decisions. Today he slid it back on his wife.

"We don't have anything going do we Baby?" Troy grinned at the unbelieving look on his wife's face. "It's the first game of the season. He played hard. And if Papa's buying…" Troy looked back at his father who gave a strong nod.

Gabriella shook her head as her mother and mother-in-law joined them at the back of the van. Lucille leaned in toward her daughter-in-law and quietly added, "It's Saturday. Jack's pumped up about this. Better let him get a little grandpa time out of this." She grinned and hugged Gabriella's shoulders.

"So is it boys' time and girls' time or what here?" Gabriella asked, still not completely giving in to her father-in-law's wants.

"No Mom, you've gotta go with us!" Jon Jack insisted with the sudden insight that he was, in fact, going to get ice cream at 10AM.

Lucille Bolton and Maria Montez quickly waved to the other four. "We'll head over to the house and make sure Mac and Becca Beth are all good. If we don't see you there, we'll catch up with you later." The women quickly made themselves scarce, heading directly to Maria's car.

Jack looked happily at Gabriella and Troy, while sharing a secret handshake with his grandson. "I didn't think it would work Papa!" Jon Jack shared just loud enough for his parents to hear. "I thought Dad was gonna say 'no'." his excited voice came through.

Troy and Gabriella looked at each other as they finished loading gear into the minivan. Gabriella leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek. "Your father is being a bad influence on our son again."

The oldest and youngest Boltons on hand wandered up behind the parents. "He's my namesake." Jack Bolton reminded his children. "And if I want to give him ice cream for breakfast, guess what? I'll find a way to do it." He grinned.

Troy looked at his wife and rolled his eyes. "He _never_ offered _me_ ice cream for breakfast when I was six."

"You never scored eight points single-handedly in the first soccer match of the season." Jack countered.

"I didn't play soccer." Troy pointed out.

Jack helped his grandson through the hatch of the minivan and watched as he climbed over the seat and buckled his own seatbelt. Gabriella took a deep breath as she watched the boys playfully and then climbed into the passenger seat while Jack and Troy each claimed their own spots.

"Maybe you should have." Jack grinned at his son.

Gabriella turned in her seat just enough to meet eyes with the three men in the same vehicle. "Jon Jack, are you sure you don't want pancakes instead of ice cream?" she tried to stave off the continuation of Troy and Jack's squabble.

"Nope." The little boy replied. "I want a chocolate dipped cone. And you'll get one with butterscotch so I can share it too. Right Mom?"

Gabriella grinned with just a hint of pink in her cheeks as both Troy and Jack looked at her knowingly. Suddenly the tables were turned on the younger Bolton mother who enjoyed indulging her children.

"Right Jon Boy." She grinned as Troy caught her nibbling on her bottom lip, the tell-tale sign that she'd been caught at something.

"He knows your ice cream order?" Troy looked at his wife. "I thought I was the only one you shared your butterscotch-dipped ice cream cones with. Just how often do you take them out for ice cream?" Troy reached over and took her hand giving it a playful squeeze.

Gabriella looked back at the confident grins on both her son and father-in-law's faces. "As often as I can." She admitted happily.

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The Bolton family enjoyed the rest of their weekend, and let the excitement continue into the following week. Between practices for Mac and Troy and homework everything kept buzzing until Tuesday night when Troy packed to leave the following morning. Tournament time was upon them again. And as luck would have it Troy was leading his next high school team right back into the heat.

Gabriella still dreaded basketball tournament time. Her junior year in high school had been the cause of her ill-feelings toward the game and the time of year. That was nearly two decades ago. That was the year her world turned upside down, and the year she fell in love.

After that year her ill-feelings had turned simply to knots in her stomach coupled with a rush of adrenaline that usually ended with her hugging a very sweaty basketball player. And during college, if she was lucky, he would have enough energy to celebrate with her following the team's final game of the season. If it was the championship, and Troy's team won, his energy level would stay at a celebratory level for days. If they lost – at any point during the tournament – she would remind him that it was just a game and then encourage him by letting him play one-on-one…with her…at home.

These days, it was a similar feeling for her, except Troy wasn't just her boyfriend anymore, he was her husband, and the father of their three children. Those were three other reasons she dreaded this time of the year. Alone, in the house, with three kids. As much as Gabriella loved her children, she loved them even more when Troy was home to help her.

With that thought in mind she leaned against her husband at the front door, gave him a lengthy kiss and watched him walk out the door with duffle bag in hand to head to the high school state championship games. He would only be two hours away but for some reason she was dreading this particular long weekend more than those in past years.

"If anything comes up, just call Mom. You know she's ten minutes away and she'll be here in a heartbeat." Troy tried to cheer his wife up. He could tell she was having some kind of odd feeling about this weekend and she had tried to talk to him about it. But try as they might, they just couldn't put a finger on the problem…or the potential one.

Gabriella nodded as he walked out the door, "We'll be fine." She added as he looked back and waved to her.

----------

She closed the door and took a deep breath. On this Wednesday morning all she had to do was get Maria Lucille out of bed and into the shower and make sure she was ready to catch the bus for school. Jon Jack took a little more work, dragging him downstairs to the living room to watch tv before helping him get dressed and on bus number two, to kindergarten. Then it would be just her and Becca Beth to get ready and out the door.

The district attorney knew she would be a bit late this morning but her court case wasn't scheduled to start until 10:30. As long as she was in by 9:30, no problem. If they could just make it through Friday afternoon, then the weekend would be a breeze.

When she heard the shower turn on above her head Gabriella knew their oldest daughter was already at work. _She's in my shower…but at least she's up._ Gabriella noted to herself. So she wandered on up the stairs and into Jon's room.

She opened the blinds just enough to let a bit of natural light into the room. She turned off the radio in his room and made her way to his bed. "Jon Jack, hey Buddy, time to get out of bed."

The six year old stretched at his mother's touch and then rolled over and curled back into the fetal position. "C'mon Bud, Daddy's already left this morning and I can't carry you down the stairs. You're getting too big for me." The mother commented and then tickled him along his ribs.

Jon Jack squirmed again at her touch and squinted as he opened his eyes. "Daddy's already gone?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he's gotta get to the school and make sure all the team's stuff is packed up for their games this weekend." She explained.

Jon Jack stretched again and held his arms out toward his mother. She bent down and let him latch his hands around her neck as she pulled him up and into a squeezing hug. "I ride the bus today, right?" he asked as he began to focus on the morning.

"Yep, Squirt, you do. And ride the bus back here this afternoon. Grammy Lucille will be here and Big Sis will be home before you as well. Don't go straight to the tv when you get home though, do your homework while Grammy's here ok?"

Gabriella knew her demand was likely falling on deaf ears, but she felt that little pang of nervousness again. Grammy Lucille would be here this afternoon. As if she didn't already know Jon's routine…Gabriella didn't want the older woman to think that her grandson vegged in front of the tv all the time.

Jon slid out of the bed and held onto Gabriella's hand as she helped him down the stairs. "So what do you want for breakfast?" she asked before noticing her youngest daughter already on the couch.

"Muffins!" came the squeal from the four year old. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"We ran out of muffins yesterday because you only ate half of one." She turned back to her son. "Jon, what do you want? You have to get ready for the bus, so now's the time for breakfast."

Jon looked at her. "Pickles?" he asked simply.

Gabriella scrunched her nose. "Are you serious?"

Jon nodded his head and smiled a sleepy grin.

"Fine. But I'm also giving you some bacon. Pickles won't hold you till lunch time Mister."

Jon sat down on the couch at the opposite end from his little sister. He leaned his head back against the cushions and stared at the tv. He coughed once catching Gabriella's ear in the kitchen. But with no other complaints she barely thought about it.

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Gabriella sat in the courtroom at 10:15 going over her notes for the case. She had gotten a text from Troy saying they were at the venue for the basketball games and he would talk to her that evening. She sent him back a simple reply. "Go Wildcats! Love you!" So now she sat waiting for her own game to begin.

But at 10:25 her phone buzzed again. Gabriella peeked down at the caller i.d., Jon's school. She looked up at her boss and shook her head. "I think I need to take this." She whispered.

She quickly put her phone to her ear and answered the call. The district attorney watched as his assistant stood from the table and made her way out of one of the back doors of the courtroom. He quickly scribbled a note and handed it to the bailiff who passed it to the judge. With luck this particular judge was familiar with Gabriella, and had been a fan of Troy Bolton since Troy was in high school. He looked from the bench to the d.a. with his own concern and nodded slightly.

Just as the judge started to say something Gabriella snuck back into the courtroom. 10:29. It was time for court to begin but the d.a. could tell her mind was nowhere near the courtroom right now. The judge watched as she sat back down at the table and just stared forward blankly.

"Gabriella, what's wrong? Who was on the phone?" the d.a. urged her to tell him what was going on.

She looked at the judge and then at the d.a. "Jon Jack's at school. He's got a 103 degree temperature that came on really quickly and needs to be picked up. Troy's not home. The Coach is with Troy. And I know I need to be here."

Gabriella's boss looked at her. "Do you want me to ask for a continuance? This is a family emergency. Or…what about…where's Troy's mom?"

Gabriella cringed just a little bit. He was right. Lucille was the obvious call to make. She just had to force herself to do it. If this were Mac or Becca Beth the call would have already been placed. But this was her son, Lucille's grandson. The young mother quickly shook her nervousness and looked back at her boss. "Can I get fifteen minutes?" she requested.

He looked at the judge and flashed him ten fingers. The judge nodded knowingly. "We've had a bit of a technical issue at the bench. We're going to take about 10 minutes to see if we can get things figured out. Jurors, please stay seated." And with that Gabriella headed back out the door.

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Lucille Bolton loved her grandchildren and loved spending time with them. From the moment Maria Lucille came into the world she found that she could love another child as much as she loved Troy and Gabriella. She wasn't sure that would be possible. After all, Troy was her own son, and Gabriella had practically stolen her heart when she took Troy's all those years ago. Lucille had never felt anything but love for her daughter-in-law and it was the same feelings for her grandchildren, all of them.

She knew when Jon Jack was born that he had elicited something inside of Gabriella. There was something about the bond that she shared with Gabriella that just loosened ever so slightly. They had finally talked about it the prior weekend. Lucille knew now why she just hadn't spent as much time with her grandson as she had with her granddaughters. And she knew now was the time to change that.

She had offered to come over that morning to help Gabriella get the kids ready and out the door. She had offered to spend a couple of nights with them. But Gabriella had still declined…Lucille knew her daughter-in-law needed to prove something to herself and her family. So Lucille hadn't pushed or insisted.

When the phone rang in the middle of the morning she was just a little startled. Nothing was going on. She was actually getting ready to leave the house to go get some snacks to take with her to Troy and Gabriella's house that afternoon. And she had her bag packed. Lucille had decided that she _was_ going to spend the night and give her daughter some help…whether she wanted it or not.

"Gabriella, Honey, aren't you at work?" she asked as she answered the phone. The tearful answer on the other end scared her.

"Lucille, I hate to ask this…I'm just…I'm torn right now and I…I can't think straight." Gabriella began.

"Sweetheart just stop for a second and take a breath. Is Troy ok?" Lucille thought quickly. She hadn't heard from Troy or Jack so she assumed they were fine.

"Yes…oh, yeah…he's fine. It's actually… it's Jon Jack. He's gotten sick at school. I know I should be going to get him but I've worked on this case and I need to be here for the trial. I'm just…is there any chance that you could go get him. He'll have to go to the doctor. This is too much to ask. I'll…I'll just…" Gabriella stumbled over her words unsure what to do. She finally sat down on a bench outside the courtroom and covered her tearful eyes with her hands as she tried to get a grip on her emotions.

"Gabriella, I'm on my way to get Jon." Lucille's calm but stern voice came through the phone line. "I'm getting in the car. Tell me what he needs. What's going on?" The older woman wanted to put her arms around her daughter-in-law and comfort her. But first she needed to make sure her grandson was ok.

Gabriella felt the strength coming back to her along with that little nervous twinge. For now, she needed to swallow her pride and let Lucille take care of Jon. She knew it would benefit them all.

"I…they just called me. He has a high temperature. They said he has a cough, but the nurse said he's wheezing. He coughed just a little this morning but I know he didn't have a fever." Gabriella sighed as she tried to remember what the nurse had said when she called.

"I can call the pediatrician and get an appointment for him while you're on your way to the school. Would that help?" Gabriella looked for guidance.

Lucille thought for a moment. "Wait, did you say his temp went up quickly, and he's wheezing?"

Gabriella nodded to herself before answering. "That's what the nurse said. He's been kind of coughing off an on for two or three days now. I thought it was just sinus junk." She shook her head as she thought about Lucille's reaction. _How could she not know if her son was really sick? Lucille would know._

Lucille's voice came onto the line again. "I remember this happening to Troy in elementary school. He was playing in gym, got really winded. We thought he just had a cold and it ended up being pneumonia."

Gabriella gasped. "I need to be at home with my baby. I need to take care of him."

Lucille focused as she pulled onto the street. "Gabriella, Honey, you stay calm. Call the doctor's office and just ask if there are any openings. Get him the next appointment available and I'll head that way with him. He'll be fine." She tried to keep a calm voice knowing it was true. "I'm here to help. And we'll take care of Jon Jack together. He'll be fine."

Gabriella took a deep breath and worked to calm her nerves. "Thanks Mom." She replied quickly and lovingly as she ended the call.

Gabriella returned to the courtroom only after arranging the appointment for her son in the middle of the afternoon, and receiving more reassurance from Lucille that she would take care of the boy until Gabriella could get to him. The young Mrs. Bolton quickly explained to the d.a. what was going on and tried to settle her nerves as she listened to the plaintiff's opening statement.

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"Grammy…" a hazy Jon Jack acknowledged his grandmother's presence at the school. "I feel tired. I wanna go home with Mommy."

Lucille smiled softly at her grandson and wrapped her arms around him. "That sounds like a plan, Champ. Mommy's gonna meet us at home in a little bit. We've gotta get you some medicine and make this nasty fever bug go away. Ok?"

Jon kept his arms wrapped around Lucille's neck as she attempted to stand up with him. "Nuh-uh. No medicine. It all tastes bad." The little boy began to complain.

Lucille felt her muscles tense at her grandson's answer. "Jon Jack, let me get up Sweety. You may have to walk out to the car, ok?" she could feel his forehead burning through the thin material of her blouse and started thinking about ways to try and get him to take the bubble gum flavored liquid that 99 percent of all children would swallow without a second sip.

Jon slid off her lap and stood weakly in front of Lucille. She knew she'd have to carry him to her car before she could put any plan into action. "Okay Big Guy. You've gotta give me a little jump at least, ok?" her heart broke at the pitiful looking face on the six year old. It was nothing like the confident soccer player who had grinned widely at her during the weekend.

On Lucille's count of three, Jon gave just enough of a jump to allow his grandmother to pick him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck as Lucille tucked her hands under his thighs. The school nurse looked at her sympathetically and didn't hesitate to carry Lucille's purse and Jon's backpack to the car. With Jon Jack belted into the back seat of the Volvo they headed to the house on Sycamore.

Grammy Luce managed to get Jon into the house and onto the couch somehow. She looked back at him as she made a beeline for the kitchen cabinet where she knew Troy and Gabriella kept the kids' medicines. With the ear thermometer in hand and a little plastic cup of the bubble gum fever reducer she headed back to the couch. Jon Jack's eyes were closed, his face flush, and she could hear his teeth gritting in his less than restful sleep.

She slid the thermometer gently into his ear canal and pressed the button. _102.8 ok. Could be worse but he needs to take the medicine._ "Jon Jack, Buddy, come on, wake up for Grammy and take your medicine." She cradled his head for a moment as she tried to decipher the boy's mumbles.

"No medicine. Only for Mommy." Came through Jon's lips. Lucille looked at her watch knowing she couldn't call Gabriella, and knowing that she had promised to take care of her grandson until Gabriella could get home.

She sat nervously. She couldn't let Jon's temperature sit at practically 103. She thought of the other half of Jon's parental unit and picked up her cell phone. "Troy? How do you get Jon to take his meds?"

----------

Troy wasn't startled by the ringing of his phone. He was a little surprised to see his mother's number pop up, though, instead of Gabriella's. He showed the phone to his father before accepting the call.

"Mom? I promise you Dad is right here beside me. He hasn't snuck off anywhere."

"_Troy? How do you get Jon to take his meds?"_ came Lucille's calm but pointed question.

"I don't." Troy answered plainly before even thinking about the question. "Gabriella's the only one who can get him to take anything, why?"

Lucille sat for a moment, not wanting to startle her son anymore than she already had.

"Mom? Seriously, why? What's going on?"

"_Jon Jack's fever went up at school. Do you happen to remember when you had pneumonia Troy? It came on really quickly. Uh, Gabriella called and asked me to pick him up from school. I thought I could just bring him home and give him some ibuprofen or something and get this fever down before we take him to the doctor this afternoon."_ Lucille worked to explain.

Troy put a hand out on his father's arm asking him to stop and pulling him over to the wall of the hotel where they were trying to get the team checked in. "Mom, back up a minute. I've only been gone like four hours. Jon Jack has pneumonia? Where's Gabriella?"

Lucille took a deep breath hearing the worry in her son's voice and knowing she had to help him stay calm or else he'd be right back in Albuquerque.

"_Gabriella said he was fine this morning when she got him on the bus. But after she was at work the school called and his fever had spiked. She called me and asked me to pick him up so I did and now we're back at your house. But I can't get him to wake up enough to take his medicine."_

Troy looked at his father and then ran his fingers through his hair. He could visualize his son laying on the couch with the Cars fleece blanket over top of him and little blond head resting on a pillow. Troy and Gabriella had worked out a plan of attack the last time Jon Jack had a case of bronchitis. Troy mastered giving his son a breathing treatment. Gabriella had the task of getting him to take the medicine. And after forcing the first dose down his throat practically she had cried for an hour in Troy's arms swearing she'd never do that to Jon again.

"Mom, I think she uses a Popsicle." Troy finally tried to remind himself of the process that he had watched Gabriella formulate in the 'mom' part of her science and law-filled brain. He smiled as he thought about the care and concern that he witnessed every time Gabriella cared for one of their children. His loving thought was broken by his own mother's voice asking for more instructions.

"What kind of Popsicle? I'm at the freezer, there's the all fruit kind, those firecracker things that are red white and blue…and there's the fudge-sicle chocolate ones. And what good is this going to do. I guess it'll help cool him off if he eats it but that still doesn't get any medicine in him."

Troy smiled knowing his mom was already a bit frustrated. Her conventional _'Troy Alexander take that medicine or else…_' line ran through his brain. He knew she wouldn't use that line with her grandson. And, he knew even if she did, it wouldn't work.

"You've gotta melt…let the Popsicle melt. Or, I mean, yeah, let it melt a little but not all the way and then put it in a cup, mash it up…like, make a slushie out of it. You know what I mean?" it was actually pretty simple and he had nearly burst with pride when Gabriella's idea had worked on their son.

"_Ok." _Lucille thought about what he was saying. _"Why not just put the medicine in some juice, like fruit punch or something?"_

Troy looked at his father and smiled. "He can taste the medicine in the juice and then won't drink it. The Popsicle is nice and cold, a little tangy, but it's sweeter than the juice and thicker like the medicine. When Jon was younger he didn't even know Gabriella was giving him medicine. It's kinda the same way Gabriella gets Dad to eat broccoli."

Jack tilted his head and looked at Troy. _"Jack won't eat broccoli." _ Lucille commented with surety.

"Right." Troy answered his parents. "Unless he doesn't know he's eating it."

Jack rolled his eyes knowing his daughter-in-law had apparently pulled a fast one on him somewhere along the way, at some dinner that she had prepared. Lucille, on the other hand, just let the comment slide by.

"_What flavor Popsicle Troy?" _she continued.

"Uh, anything but grape I think." He stopped and pulled the phone away from his ear for a second. "Mom, Brie is beeping in. Let me talk to her a minute, then I'm sure she'll call you right back. Try a cherry Popsicle, and only use about half of it. If he gets the medicine down you can give him the rest after that."

Troy quickly ended the call with his mom and started the call with his wife.

"_Troy? Jon Boy's sick. Your mom picked him up from school but I'm heading home. I, I just wanted to let you know I guess."_ Troy picked up immediately on the fear in her voice.

"Brie, it's fine. You know he'll be fine. I just talked to Mom. She didn't know how to get him to take the ibuprofen. I told her your Popsicle trick but I still doubt it'll work. You're the only one who can get him to take his medicine. Wait, what about your court case?" Troy wanted to reassure Gabriella that Lucille wasn't taking over. She had never done that before, but Troy was now keenly aware of his wife's one bit of nervousness regarding his mother.

The strong admiration that Gabriella had for Lucille made her just a bit fearful of Troy's mom when it came to raising a son. It was something Gabriella would just have to work through. This might just be the situation she needed.

"_When the school called, I told Mike what was going on. He let me go through the opening statements but then talked to the judge. They're going to break for the rest of today until I can see what's going on at home. I've gotta let Mike know something after J.B.'s appointment this afternoon." _Gabriella informed her husband.

"You're lucky Mike likes your work." Troy insisted.

"_No." _Gabriella rebutted. _"I'm lucky the judge has been a Troy Bolton fan since you were in middle school."_

Troy looked at his father and then leaned up against the wall and held the phone closer to his ear. "You know I wish I was there, right? I can come home if you want me to. But Brie?"

He heard the door of her car slam and the ignition start before she answered him. _"I can do this Troy. With both our moms here I can do this. I am capable."_

"I'm fully aware of that. But I don't like being away from you anyway. And when something's wrong I want to be right there with you. I'm sorry Jon got sick. But… you, you will let my mom help, right? She really wants to Brie." Troy glanced up at his father who was fending off some of the players who wanted their coach's attention.

"_I know. And I will. I won't try to do this by myself I promise."_ She let the words come out of her mouth truly believing them. _"I miss you too Wildcat, already."_ She backed out of the courthouse parking spot and turned the minivan toward home. _"I love you. Tell the guys to play hard for us ok?"_

Troy smiled. He loved her determination. And he knew in his heart that her determination coupled with Lucille's willingness to help, and Maria's drive Jon Jack would be just fine. "I'll call back later tonight and check on my little man. Love you too Baby."

----------

Gabriella opened the door to her home quietly and made her way through the kitchen into the living room. She found a sight that she expected, but instead of making her feel anxious it hit the deepest part of her heart.

Lucille sat on the couch with a pillow in her lap and Jon Jack resting his head somewhat comfortably on the softness. His favorite blanket was pulled up to his chin and his grandmother's fingers were petting him and running through his hair. Gabriella quickly noted the cup sitting on the coffee table and the thermometer next to it.

The dark haired young mother made her way straight to her mother-in-law's side and knelt down on the carpet beside the couch. "How is he?" she asked calmly and smiled softly as Lucille turned her face toward Gabriella.

"I…I couldn't get him to wake up enough to take the medicine. He took maybe a sip or two from the Popsicle slush…his fever is still over 102 though. I talked to Troy and he told me about the Popsicle idea." Lucille's worried eyes spoke warmly to Gabriella.

Gabriella rubbed Lucille's arm and then ran her fingers through her son's hair. "He's a little booger when it comes to medicine. I bet you never had a problem with Troy on that front did you?"

Lucille smiled knowing what she was referring to. "Your husband took his medicine most of the time. We had more trouble trying to get him to eat meat than anything else. Has he told you, he wouldn't eat hamburger for almost an entire year? The day he saw raw hamburger for the first time that just did it."

Gabriella smiled at Troy's mother. "Troy not eat hamburger?" she mused. "Exactly when was that?"

Lucille grinned and thought for a moment. "He was in second grade I think, so what's that…around eight years old? One of his teachers even called us about it. Apparently Troy took it upon himself to describe what raw hamburger looks like to his classmates one day at lunch and had them all gagging."

Gabriella held back a laugh from her lips that was dying to burst out. "Are you serious?"

Lucille used her free hand to mark an x over her heart with her index finger. "Cross my heart. That was one of the longest years of my life. Every damn time I tried to fix hamburger…forget it. That's a story best served for when Troy is here to feel guilty about it." She commented and then went back to rubbing soothing patterns on Jon's cheek.

"Mommy?" the little boy's voice spoke softly as he opened his eyes and glanced up at Lucille.

Grammy Luce nodded at Jon and encouraged Gabriella to move over beside him.

"I'm right here Buddy." Gabriella took one of Jon's hands and squeezed his little fingers while she pouted with him.

Jon's lower lip began to quiver as he looked up at his mother. "I don't feel very good." He admitted to her.

Gabriella looked at Lucille and then held her arms open to her son. "Sit up a minute Baby Boy. Let Grammy Luce get up and Mommy will hold you for a while ok?"

Jon nodded and accepted the gentle push from Lucille. He sat up and watched the women as they traded places. Before Gabriella could even make herself comfortable he was in her arms.

Lucille stood to the side of the couch and simply watched the scene. Gabriella spoke softly to her son and placed gentle loving kisses on his forehead and in his hair. Within just a minute she was giving him little spoonfuls of the melted flavored ice. And when that didn't seem to quench his dry mouth Gabriella looked up toward Jon's Grammy.

"Would you mind getting a straw for him? I think there's a package of bendy straws in the drawer with the spoons and forks."

Lucille didn't hesitate to make good on the request. It only took her a couple of seconds to return with the red straw, Jon Jack's favorite color. And then she stood comfortably again watching her daughter and grandson interact.

Jon slurped up the melted juice, including the ibuprofen, within five minutes of being in his mother's arms. Lucille then wandered to the other end of the couch, straightened the blanket that was keeping Jon warm and looked at Gabriella.

"Troy said you could work magic with him. He wouldn't take his medicine for me no matter what I tried. You know why that is, don't you?" she raised her eyebrows to make a point to Gabriella who shook her head slightly.

"It's really simple Sweetheart. _You_ are his mother. No other woman will ever come close to you. Somewhere down the road he may fall in love with a lovely young lady. And…well, okay he probably won't be as lucky as his father was, … maybe he'll fall in love with a couple of different young women. But you will be his mom forever. He will look to you for advice and you'll give it even when he doesn't want to hear it. And you will tell him things that he doesn't want to hear and make him take medicine or eat something that he doesn't want to eat. And there will be times when you think he absolutely hates you. But you're his mom Gabriella and no grandmother or wife or even his own daughter can change that or come between you."

"That's what you have with Troy?" Gabriella nearly whispered after letting Lucille's words penetrate her heart.

Lucille supplied one nod to answer her question. "You are nurturing your mother/son foundation right now. Between popsicles, leaving work for him, whispering to him, holding him in your lap and looking him in the eyes. Every little touch makes that bond stronger my Sweet Girl."

Gabriella pointed toward the empty end of the couch wanting Lucille to sit with them.

"Do you need anything right now?" Lucille asked before moving toward the seat.

"Just for Grammy to sit down and wait with me, to see if this fever breaks in a little bit." Gabriella claimed.

Grammy Luce did as requested. They sat there silently, both petting on Jon and thinking about the mothering tips that they had shared. When Jon began to squirm under the covers nearly a half hour later Lucille was the first to notice the temperature change.

"I think things are already looking up for your little man." She smiled.

Gabriella winced just a little as she felt the sweat dripping from Jon's body. It was drenching her suit but at that moment she really could've cared less. "His fever broke." She smiled and sighed with relief.

"We'll still get him to the doctor. But at least now we know what can take care of his fever." Lucille began to think about the next couple of days.

"I'm staying here with you. Even if you stay home he'll want all your attention. So I'll stay and take care of everything else."

Gabriella thought for a moment before accepting the offer whole-heartedly. A week before she would've fought Lucille on the plan. She would've hoarded her children and cried over Jon Jack's illness when the stress finally attacked her. But not today.

Today she would keep her promise to her husband, and allow his mother to help. Because now Gabriella knew that Jon Jack was her son, Lucille's grandson. And no matter what happened that wouldn't change.

"Mama?" Jon's voice spoke a little louder at the moment.

"Yeah Buddy?" she questioned and pushed a piece of his matted hair out of his eyes.

"Can I have some pickles? I'm kinda hungry."

Lucille grinned at his request and stood from the couch. "You never had lunch Little Man. Why don't you stay here with Mommy and I'll go get you a cheeseburger before we go to the doctor's office?" his Grammy suggested.

At the offer Jon crinkled his nose. "Nah, just pickles please. I don't think I like hamburgers. They're kinda gross."

Lucille rolled her eyes as she caught Gabriella's near laugh. "Troy's son. He is _all_ yours to deal with." She headed toward the kitchen to retrieve the food item that Jon had requested. "And by the way, good luck with that. I hope Troy helps you more than Jack helped me!"

Gabriella brushed more hair from Jon's forehead as the little boy sat up beside her on the couch and reached for the remainder of the melted popsicle.

"Ah," she mumbled to herself and let Jon's front toothless grin spur her love even deeper, "the joys of having a son."

**__________**

**_Scenarios: Hawaii __by adcgordon _now available at AuthorHouse dot com; Amazon dot com; and BarnesandNoble dot com .**

**Thanks to everyone for your support, and for feeding my addiction! :D  
**


	9. The Trouble with Texting

**Let me start by saying this one is a T+ rating, borderline M but not quite there in my opinion. Thanks cncgrad for your input on the rating and all of your help on this AND the Waltz with Me one-shot! :) I also have to say thanks to my hubby for inspiring this chapter. As I think I've said before, these chapters are really random and sooo out of order. Who knows, someday I may get them all straightened out.**

**This one takes place after T & G move back to Albuquerque, but before any of the kids come along...well, kinda. ;) Thanks for sticking with me. Hope you'll enjoy this short chapter and that it might inspire more to come! Reviews and PM's are always welcome along with ANY news about our fave couple. Your comments and thoughts ALWAYS feed my addiction! KTZLF! -adc

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"_You rocked my world last night…couldn't quite think straight this morning. ;)"_

Gabriella looked at the text twice before glancing up from her desk to see if anyone else in the office noticed her blushing cheeks.

"Troy Bolton, I am at work. Stop it." She texted back to her husband.

They had barely been back in Albuquerque two months with Gabriella beginning a new job and Troy preparing to start his own. The teachers' conference that Troy was attending was supposed to help acclimate him to the school system. The same school system that he had grown up in…and the same one for which his father had worked for the past twenty-some-odd years.

"_I can't help it. I'm bored with the conference and you were amazing last night. I just keep remembering you…on…top…"_

Gabriella's eyes doubled in size as she again looked around the room. Lucky for her the gasp that escaped her lips this time was a lot quieter than she thought. Either that, or her co-workers in the district attorney's office were being polite in ignoring her.

"Troy I swear if you don't stop…" she typed back quickly.

"_You'll what? Make me be on top tonight? Pretty please?"_

_Oh my God. My husband is horny and at a teachers conference and I'm going to be the one to pay for it._ Gabriella swallowed the hot saliva that had collected in her mouth and took a deep breath. Only two months into this job and she was going to get fired because said husband couldn't control his hormones during his boredom.

"I am not joking Troy. You'll get nothing tonight, not even a kiss, if you don't stop this. I am sitting in the office with a bunch of people around me who barely know me. I do NOT want to lose my job because your hormones are having flashbacks!"

She sat for a minute without receiving a reply. _Good_, she thought, _maybe I finally got through to him. _But then her phone buzzed again. Gabriella rolled her eyes as she hit the 'receive' button on the small keypad.

" _I'm sorry Baby. I just can't help myself. Didn't you enjoy last night?"_

Gabriella leaned her head slightly to the side and blinked her long dark eyelashes as she read the note again. Of course she had enjoyed last night. He knew she had enjoyed last night. And the night prior to that…and she would likely enjoy tonight as well although it was almost 'that time of the month'.

"You know I enjoyed last night Wildcat. How could you think otherwise? Thanks, now you've got my hormones going too."

* * *

Troy squirmed in his seat about 15 rows up in the college lecture hall. The power point presentation was less than interesting. And now he knew he had his wife exactly where he wanted her. She had used his nickname and was thinking about their time together the previous evening. Now, if he could just get her out of the office and somewhere a little more private…

"Can you take a break? Maybe go to the bathroom or something?" Troy sent back to her without even attempting to hide the sexy smirk on his face from anyone in the darkened room.

"_Where are you exactly and how is it that you can send me these kinds of messages without being yelled at…like a high school student?" _Gabriella sent back and then placed her phone in her purse, stood quietly and told the office assistant that she was going to the law library and would return shortly.

"In high school I didn't have to text. I'd just take you to the rooftop or climb the tree to your balcony to get my fix." He sent her casually and then slumped farther down in his seat to try and ease a bit of the tightness that was forming in his khaki slacks.

Gabriella walked quickly down the hallway and punched the up arrow on the elevator control. As soon as the doors opened and she stepped into the empty chamber she pulled her phone out again. Reading his text she rolled her eyes and shook her head. _"What high school girlfriend are you actually remembering Mr. Bolton? Cause I don't recall doing anything to 'fix' you until sometime around graduation."_

"All I needed was to just be near you. That was enough for me." Troy smiled as he typed. "At least until I set foot on Stanford's campus for the first time."

This time as she read his note Gabriella laughed out loud. She wasn't sure if she was married to the sweetest man on earth or the cheesiest. Either way she was suddenly very happy that she was heading to a place where she might find just a touch of privacy for a few minutes at least.

* * *

She smiled at the attendant as she stepped into the library and looked around.

"Can I help you find anything? I don't think I've seen you up here before, have I?" the attendant returned Gabriella's smile.

The 40 something year old woman reminded Gabriella of Lucille, Troy's mom. She shook her head. "I just started working in the D.A.'s office. I've been up a couple of times but it was just to look around."

The woman nodded her head. "So can I point you in a certain direction?"

Gabriella pursed her lips together, thinking quickly about the reason she was here. She couldn't exactly say that her bored husband was _sexting_ her and she needed a quiet place to help him get his fix. Gabriella widened her eyes and then blinked quickly at the thought. _No, certainly can't say that_.

"The office was getting a little busy. I just needed a quiet spot to finish writing up the briefs that I have to get done by the end of the day." She answered after a pregnant pause.

The motherly woman nodded her head again trying to believe the pretty young woman standing in front of her. She pointed at a couple of small meeting rooms toward the back of the library. "Those are always popular places for some peace and quiet."

Gabriella nodded and thanked the woman then walked toward the rooms. She chose the one that had a smaller table, turned, closed the door behind her and hung her purse on the chair.

She blushed as she looked at the single item she brought with her, her purse. No legal pad, no paperwork, no obvious writing utensils…just her purse. _I am soooo not good at this game. But since I'm here, hubby dearest is going to pay._

She grabbed her phone from the bag and accepted his latest message. _"Brie? Are you still out there?"_

Gabriella smiled and sat down in the uncomfortable wooden chair and leaned her elbows on the table. She glanced at the gold watch on her arm. She would allow herself a half hour at this, try her best to look like she had accomplished something other than urging her husband as close to an orgasm as she could possibly get him, and then make a quick pit stop in the restroom downstairs before going back into the office for just fifteen or twenty minutes before the day ended.

"Oh, I'm here alright." She typed back using her short manicured fingernails.

" _So, where were we? Are you still in the office?" _She could practically see Troy's adorable sideways grin that he always showed her when his body was beginning its magnetic attraction to hers.

"You told me to take a break. So I am." She paused and then quickly followed up with another simple text. "I am now in a room, all alone, and it's pretty warm in here…gonna have to take some clothes off to feel more…comfortable."

This time Troy swallowed the hot line of liquid that gathered in his mouth as his eyes widened. The thought of what Gabriella was beginning at this very moment caused him to stretch his legs and made that tightness in his slacks even more uncomfortable.

"_Gabriella…you aren't seriously starting what I think you are…are you?"_ It was Troy's turn to look around the lecture hall. No one behind him, no one in front of him, and several seats between him and the two people in the same row as he was. The thought of getting his 'fix' was very appealing at the moment, but he knew it was impossible in this setting.

"I'm sorry, who started this? I believe u were the 1 telling me to go somewhere more private. Now here I am…shoes off, jacket off, blouse unbuttoned all the way to my belly button." She stopped there and hit 'send' on the keypad.

"_Brie…I'm in a lecture hall with about 50 other people."_

"Ur loss." She smiled as she typed. "I thought u enjoyed thinking about me undressing…isn't that what this was all about? Sliding my blouse off my shoulders and letting my bra straps slide down so that you can see just enough of my…" Even in the empty room Gabriella looked around before she continued. She sent that part of the message and then followed with one word, "…breasts."

Gabriella couldn't believe she had just sent that message. Nor could she believe she was blowing off a half hour of actual work time to play along with Troy's game. But she had always liked a challenge…especially ones that involved her husband.

If she knew her husband as well as she suspected, his boxers were now straining and his forehead was beginning to sweat. The thought of her exposed breasts was something he wanted all for himself. Even the hint of her showing added cleavage without him present always caused his heat to rise.

Troy's shaking fingers typed as quickly as he could on the device. "_Gabreiallla BOLton!!!_ "

He used his eyes to try and glance around the room at those sitting anywhere near him. He shifted in his seat and wiped the beads of sweat from under his bangs on his forehead before reaching down cautiously to adjust his excited penis that was pressing against his zipper.

Troy looked at his watch. Another hour. And the Power Point presentation was only another 15 minutes of that. He looked again toward the speaker on the floor of the hall and took a deep breath. It was useless. Nothing on the lighted screen was legible now because all he could see in front of his eyes was his half naked wife. Would it be unprofessional of him to take a bathroom break right now…and not return?

Gabriella looked at his text and laughed to herself. He was already so worked up that he couldn't even spell her name correctly. She smiled as she slipped her shoes off and arranged her legs in the chair to try and get a little more comfortable. This was more fun than she expected.

"What's wrong Wildcat? Little _hard_ to sit through a lecture knowing my bra is now around my waist and I'm sliding my slacks and nude thong over my thighs?" She bit her bottom lip and pulled it farther into her mouth as she thought about Troy looking at her, watching her undress.

Troy practically groaned as he read the words on the tiny screen. He took a minute to breathe slowly through his nose.

"_Where are you?" _he sent back with obvious purpose.

"Wildcat…like I would tell you that. You can't leave your conference. This is part of your job orientation. Principal Matsui wouldn't like it if he found out you were running to the roof for sexual pleasures instead of paying attention in class."

Gabriella glanced at her watch as she sat there, still fully clothed minus her shoes, wondering exactly how Troy was going to have her make up for this little escapade. Although, he did bring this on himself.

She jumped a little when a quiet knock sounded on the door. She had only been in the room fifteen minutes. "This room's occupied." She answered the knock with a strained voice as she attempted to keep her composure.

"I just wanted to check and see if you needed anything Miss…I'm sorry I didn't even get your name," the library attendant commented.

"Oh," Gabriella shook her head as she stared at the door and then at the blinking envelope on her phone screen. "Bolton…um, Gabriella Bolton…is my name. Sorry about that, but I'm fine, I don't need anything right now, thank you."

"You just let me know if you do." The woman's happy voice sounded pleasant through the closed, but unlocked, door.

Gabriella noticed there was no lock on the door. At least not from the inside. Darn good thing she was simply texting with Troy and not trying to act out this little charade or get her own 'fix'.

Through her embarrassed blush she accepted his latest note.

"_You are killing me. Tell me where you'll be in an hour."_

Gabriella had to chuckle. "You mean after I get dressed again? I was really beginning to get comfortable…out of my clothes…and thinking about you."

Troy's teeth clenched together as the discomfort between his legs begged for a release. Was this really his somewhat sexually timid wife sending him these notes. When all she had to do was stand there and look into his eyes to turn him on…didn't she know this kind of exchange would push him to the edge?

For one second his thoughts stepped away from the sexy woman that he was dreaming of now. For one second he thought about her mind instead of her body and the calculating, torturous, mind-game that she was playing.

"_You didn't answer my question Mrs. Bolton. Where will you be in an hour?"_

Gabriella grinned teasingly. Her husband was onto her game…the one that he started but obviously couldn't continue. Still, she had a few answers that could press his buttons.

"You mean where you _want_ me to be or where I'll really be? Cause I could be _on top_ of the situation, or at the _bottom_ of the stack, or maybe _bending over backwards_ to make you happy?"

Troy practically swallowed his tongue to keep the mental images of his wife from causing an explosion in his pants. He wiped the sweat off his face again and then smiled. Dear God he loved her more than anything.

"_Who are you and what did you do with my wife? Do you have any clue what you're doing to me?"_ Troy loved every thought of his wife. Especially when she was being playful, and – dare he say it – tempting.

Gabriella smiled and laughed softly. "It's all me Wildcat…and I'm all yours. What I'm doing to you? Hopefully teaching you a lesson…and getting ready to see you at home in about an hour?"

She sent the message with the feeling that she had probably pushed him far enough. They say paybacks are hell. Gabriella Bolton disagreed.

"_Be in the bedroom waiting for me? Keep the bra around your waist…but don't take off the thong. I wanna do that."_ Troy texted back and willed the next sixty minutes to fly by.

Gabriella sighed as she put the phone back in her purse, slipped her shoes back on and prepared to leave the confines of that small room. When the payback was from her husband she expected a trip…or maybe even two…to heaven.

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**_Scenarios: Hawaii a book by adcgordon_ is now available at AuthorHouse dot com; Amazon dot com; and BarnesandNoble dot com.  
Thanks to everyone for your support! KTZLF! -adc**


	10. Unlimited Texting

**The texting got a little tawdry, sending Mr. & Mrs. Bolton home with certain expectations. What happens next? Well, something M rated, short and hopefully sweet. :D  
**

**KTZLF! -adc

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"Gabriella Montez Bolton!" she heard Troy's voice yell up the stairs as soon as he walked through the door. She quickly looked at the outfit she had put on. It wasn't exactly what they had texted about her wearing, but it was close.

"Upstairs Sweetheart." She called innocently through the open bedroom door.

"Better be." She heard him comment and knew he was taking the stairs two by two.

Ready to try and hold her ground Gabriella stood from the bed and slid the small calendar book onto the bedside table. She smoothed down the silk of the peach negligee and quickly adjusted the nude colored thong that rested somewhat uncomfortably underneath the sexy garment. She sat back onto the bed and stretched her body out for her husband to see, head propped up on her elbow, anticipating his arrival.

She glanced in the mirror to make sure the wide V in the neck dipped down between her breasts, and to push her small yet ample breasts into the cups of the nightgown to emphasize her cleavage. It wasn't exactly the bra around her waist that Troy had attempted to demand, but it should be pretty enticing for him.

"If you're working on some legal stuff in there it better be off the bed by the time I come through…the door."

Troy stopped cold in his tracks when he noticed the beautiful woman on the bed in front of him. It took every ounce of his control that was quickly dwindling to keep from launching himself from the door onto the bed on top of her.

Gabriella sat with smooth legs stretched in front of her. She watched intently as Troy's eyes moved from her perfectly pedicured toes over her rounded perfect kneecaps, up the thin, see-through material of her sexy nightgown to the dark waves of curls that she had pulled around to cascade down the left side of her neck. That silky dark path led his eyes directly to her breasts that were not well-hidden under the sheer material.

His body had already been reacting to thoughts of her before the drive home even began. Now, with her within reach he let his shoulders relax while the lower half of his body stretched beyond tense. He could already see her nipples, erect under the cups of the gown. "What happened to the bra around your waist?" his husky voice asked.

She let her tongue graze her lips for a touch of moisture which made them gleam under the evening sunlight that was coming through the French doors of the balcony. "Just thought this would be a little more comfortable." She answered and watched his crystal blue eyes as they looked into her face.

Gabriella used her index finger and thumb to raise the hem of her nightgown up her thigh, past her hip, until she could feel the thread of elastic holding the delicate thong on her body. She watched her fingers work and then looked at her husband when she hooked her middle finger into that thread.

"I do still have the thong on." She informed him, knowing he was now well aware of her full attire.

Troy began to unbutton the blue button-down dress shirt that was still tucked into his pants. Gabriella watched his fingers work to free the small circles as quickly as he could. Her eyes followed the buttons' downward path to his brown belt and golden belt buckle. She dared to let her eyes drop further and although she could only see a hint of the straining that was happening under the material, she knew what was there.

"Can I help you with that?" she toyed with the band of her thong making the teasing action obvious to her husband.

Troy stepped toward the bed and turned sideways for a moment. He grinned down at her as Gabriella stretched her hand out trying to reach the front of his pants.

"Ah-ah." Troy smirked at her. "Your teasing messages have had me worked up for the last hour and a half. I don't think I heard anything or learned a thing from the last part of the conference."

Gabriella twisted her lips into a seductive smirk as she batted her eyelashes at Troy. "If I remember correctly Wildcat," she ran her hand over the side of her smooth thigh and then up the front of Troy's, "You began that little sidebar."

Troy grasped her hand and moved it to his pocket. "Grab the phone. Only the phone, and go to my messages. I want you to read what you sent to me…out loud."

Gabriella looked at her husband and squinted her eyes just a little as she cocked her head to try and figure out what he was up to. As she reached into his pocket Troy removed the button-down shirt from his body and then proceeded to pull the white t-shirt up and over his head.

His wife stared almost hungrily at his chest as she pulled the electronic device from his pocket. She attempted to pull up his message list with one hand but found the phone slipping from her hand. With both her hands occupied and her eyes focusing on the tiny screen Troy went to work.

He quietly unlatched his belt as Gabriella reached her first message to him. She raised her eyebrows and attempted to watch Troy as his fingers unbuttoned his waistband and began to slowly draw the zipper downward.

"Read." He grinned at her.

"_I am not joking Troy. You'll get nothing tonight, not even a kiss…"_ Gabriella read and then noticed her husband's trousers falling to the floor.

"Uh-uh." Troy directed her. "Find a more sexy one. You know what you sent."

He watched her face as she began to use her thumb to skim down the touchscreen pad to find what he wanted.

"_I am now in a room, all alone, and it's pretty warm in here…gonna have to take some clothes off to feel more…comfortable."_ Gabriella blushed just a little as she read her own words.

She looked for the next entry but got distracted as she watched Troy's hand run solidly down the front of his soft blue cotton boxers, stroking his now obvious erection right beside her.

"Keep going." Troy instructed. "That's just the beginning and you know it." His half smile quirked as she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from his handiwork and back to the phone.

Gabriella cleared her throat and found the next lines. _"Now here I am…shoes off, jacket off, blouse unbuttoned all the way to my belly button."_

Troy crawled over her waist, straddling her for just a moment before bringing both legs together and laying down beside her on the bed. He propped his head up in his hand, elbow resting on her pillow, and sent his other hand back to work, momentarily, on the straining cotton below his waist.

Gabriella felt her eyes being drawn away from the phone again. Her breath nearly drained when she saw his nearly pulsing head appearing above the waistband of her husband's underwear as the cloth began to ride lower and lower on his hips.

"Next?" Troy tried to ask casually as he looked at her longing eyes and listened to her breath becoming heavy in her chest.

"_I thought u enjoyed thinking about me undressing…isn't that what this was all about? Sliding my blouse off my shoulders and letting my bra straps slide down my shoulders so that you can see just enough of my…"_ Gabriella sucked in a labored breath as she felt Troy's fingers go to work on the neckline of her gown.

Troy scooted himself closer to his wife so she could feel his hardness pressing against her hip. He kept his head propped on his hand for another minute as his fingers outlined the 'v' of her gown sending shivers of lightning through her skin.

He tugged at the silky material on her shoulder and pulled it until it sat nearly halfway down her arm. Gabriella clutched the phone in her hands as Troy ran his fingers over her bare skin and moved his lips to follow the same path.

Before latching onto her neck Troy whispered in her ear. "Finish that last sentence Baby. What do I get to see just enough of?" he softly demanded.

Gabriella swallowed and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feel of him on her body. "…my breasts…" she whispered in return before attempting to turn her face toward him.

"You're not done reading yet." Troy's voice was now teasing as he kissed his way around her ear, her cheek, back down her neck to her chest. "Keep going Sweetheart."

Gabriella moaned quietly, wanting to join in his pleasure, but knowing that the longer they waited the more they would enjoy coming together. But even the thought of it caused her to try the one-handed phone trick again.

This time she was able to open the next message as she reached down and grasped Troy's length through the soft material.

"Oh god…" Troy nearly bit down on her delicate skin just above her breast. "Read woman." He ordered and continued sucking and grazing his teeth and tongue just above her excited tip.

Her eyes caught sight of the next words on the screen. She altered them to fit their current situation. _"You're so hard Wildcat."_ Gabriella took a breath. "Sit up Troy. Look at me."

Troy wasn't startled by her words but they hoisted him out of his actions. He sat back on his knees looking at his wife through glazed eyes. She reached toward his practically uncovered crotch now and ran her fingers down his length until she could toy with the tender sack at his base.

Troy's eyes fluttered as he attempted to hear what she was saying. "You like to watch me undress don't you Wildcat?"

Gabriella inched her way up in the bed a little until she could pull the gown completely off her shoulders, urging it down to uncover her breasts completely and paused when it sat at her waist.

"You like seeing me half naked in front of you _Troy_?" she slid back down in the bed and watched as he dropped his chin in a firm nod and then let his eyes look at her chest. His breath got heavier when she slid both of her hands under the back of her head giving him the free, full view that he loved.

Troy nearly forgot his plan of making his wife read to him as he shimmied out of his boxers and placed a hand on either side of her body, dipping his head to taste her taut nipple in his mouth.

Her body jerked as his tongue swirled over the tight, darkened skin, and then eased as he sucked the mound into his mouth and gently grazed his teeth over the softness. He gave her other breast the same attention and moved his lower body against her bare thigh, hitching the gown farther and farther up her leg.

When his slick head met the string of her thong he stopped and raised his head.

"Where's the phone?" he asked, causing Gabriella to open her pleasure-filled eyes.

She pulled her hand from under the pillow showing him the darkened screen.

"You aren't finished reading." He smiled then watched as she rolled her eyes and pulled the messages back up on the device. "The next to last message. Read that one."

She found what he was looking for just as Troy went back to work on her neck with his lips and tongue while his hands found her breasts once more. Gabriella began running her fingers through his hair and chuckled just a little as she read.

"_I could be on top of the situation, or at the bottom of the stack, or maybe bending over backwards to make you happy."_ She felt her body flush as she thought about the hidden meaning in those words.

Troy's hands moved down her body pushing the gown completely off, leaving her in just the sexy thong that he had been imagining for nearly two hours.

"Do you know how sexy that is to think about?" He kissed his way over her belly button and stopped at the top of the slinky covering to her core. _"Bending over backwards…" _he tugged at the strings as Gabriella raised her hips slightly to let the fabric come off her body.

Troy noted the wetness that had already seeped from her body. His eyes moved slowly back up her nakedness taking in every inch of her beauty and knowing the peaceful, relaxing joy on her face was about to be replaced with the moans and words of ecstacy.

Gabriella smiled at him. "Mmmm…I leave it up to you. Your choice. I pushed you that far. I thought it might be nice to let you decide."

Troy moved his body back over hers letting the tip of his penis glide just outside her heat. "As amazing as that back-bend idea sounds…I just need to be all the way inside you and know that we're both enjoying it."

He moved to her lips and swept his tongue across them. "Am I finished reading now?" Gabriella asked between kisses and licks that Troy planted across her face and neck.

Troy caught her eye as he slowly pushed inside of her. His seductive smile and increasing thrusts made her back arch begging him for more until her body was shaking uncontrollably.

In her breathless amazement, panting in his arms Gabriella had to laugh when her husband reached for the phone and pulled up those x-rated messages again. "Told you it was worth paying for unlimited texting." She breathed as her body began to settle with each loving touch of Troy's hands and kisses in their aftermath.

She heard his breath falter again and knew he had gotten to that last line. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to attend another teacher's conference again."

"Mr. Bolton, if you get good grades at those conferences, I'll make it worth your while." Gabriella leaned up and whispered against his chin.

"You text me like that and I'll have straight A's for the rest of my life."

**KTZLF***KTZLF***KTZLF***KTZLF**

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_**Scenarios: Hawaii**__** a book by adcgordon**_** now available at AuthorHouse dot com; and Amazon dot com.**

**Thank you all for your support! -adc**


	11. Dylan & Bonnie

**Okay, a slight reprieve from the weird Scenario that I've got going right now. As always, I own nothing of the HSM characters except VERY sweet memories and the hopes that someday there may be more! :D Love to hear from fellow fans, so don't hesitate to review or pm me! That's what feeds my addiction and fuels my imagination.**

**KTZLF! -adc

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"Who the hell is Dylan and who said she could talk to him after 9:00?" Troy's voice wasn't necessarily angry but the near-slamming bedroom door put a definite point to his question as he headed into his bedroom.

Gabriella crinkled her eyebrows together and stuck her head out of the bathroom door after applying a layer of cleanser to clean off her daily makeup. "Troy Alexander! What are you griping about. I just got Jon settled in bed. Slamming a door won't help matters."

She watched her husband with a sour look on his face as he walked to his side of the bed and proceeded to jerk his t-shirt over his head, mumble something incoherent and then strip down to his boxers before flopping onto the bed.

"Sweetheart," Gabriella softened her voice after another look at her pouting spouse. "What's wrong?"

She turned back to the bathroom sink and proceeded to rinse the cleanser from her face while trying to listen to Troy's grumbling.

"Who's Dylan?" he finally raised his voice just enough to let Gabriella understand the simple question.

"He's Jon's soccer coach's son. You know him, you've seen him at Jon's games. Why?" Gabriella continued on with her nighttime routine.

"Well why is Mac on the phone with him now? She needs to get to sleep she's got a game tomorrow." Troy's pout was now becoming a bit bothersome and yet funny when Gabriella would glance out the door at him. He was lying on the bed with arms folded, pointing a remote control at the television.

"She's got a crush on him Troy. You know that part too. She's had a crush on him since he showed up at one of Jon's practices." Gabriella began to pat her face dry with the soft hand towel hanging beside her sink. "She's been trying to get him to come to one of her softball games for three months now. Don't get upset about it."

Troy and Gabriella's eyes finally met as she wandered into the bedroom and pulled the covers back to climb into bed beside her husband.

"Are you telling me that you're ok with her being on the phone with a boy at bedtime?" Troy tested his wife.

Gabriella shook her head. "This particular boy is as deep into soccer as you were into basketball at his age. I doubt he even knows that girls exist, except that he has three sisters. He is always more interested in Jon Jack at practices than Mac."

The last fact made Troy's muscles relax just a bit which allowed Gabriella to take his hands in hers and pull him into a sitting position on the bed. She then positioned herself behind him and began to work at the slight tension in his shoulders while Troy tried to let himself focus on her delicate fingers.

"She's just not old enough to be talking on the phone at bedtime. Especially not to _boys._" Troy protested.

"Honey, she is twelve years old. Believe it or not, softball is _not_ her life. And, prepare yourself for this one, _we_ bought her the phone so that her friends wouldn't be calling us at bedtime." Gabriella punctuated her facts with a soft kiss to her husband's neck then used her thumbs to massage that kiss into his skin before moving her fingertips up to play in the hair on the back of his neck.

"Not _boy_ friends." Troy's pout, even from the back of his head, reminded Gabriella of their children. She knew the look was very familiar. That's because she had gotten to know it intimately well over the past 20 years.

"And just how are you going to react when it's Jon Jack making the phone calls at night? Are you gonna come in here slamming doors and mumbling that _he_ needs to get off the phone?" Gabriella prepared herself for the double standard that she expected her husband to toss back at her.

Troy shifted his neck around a little to make her fingers hit the perfect spot. "He won't be calling anyone because _you_ won't let him. I'm willing to bet that you'll take his phone away at nighttime. He'll have to sneak up in the tree house to call his girlfriend when he's twelve."

Gabriella's fingers pinched harder against Troy's muscles; the massage quickly turned into a more cumbersome, jerky action on his wife's part as she thought about what he said.

"He won't _have_ a girlfriend at age twelve. Just like Dylan doesn't have a girlfriend at age twelve. And just like _you_ didn't have a girlfriend at age twelve." Gabriella attempted to defend.

"Ah…" Troy raised his eyebrows. "But I _did_ have a girlfriend at age twelve."

"What?" Gabriella smacked her husband's bare shoulder hard enough to make it sting. "You said there were _no_ serious girlfriends before me! Why am I just now hearing about…what was her name?"

Troy let a small smirk form on his face as Gabriella attempted to pummel his shoulder muscles. He thought for just a second. "Pretty sure it was Bonnie." He placed his index finger and thumb on his chin as he thought back.

At the sound of an actual female name Gabriella completely stopped her massage and moved over to her side of the bed letting Troy flop backwards with a thump.

She turned her back on her husband and smacked her pillows a couple of times before dropping her own head down onto the softness and staring at the ceiling. "And what did you and _Bonnie_ do as boyfriend and girlfriend?" Gabriella asked sarcastically.

"Hmmm..." Troy thought as he glanced at his wife's now-pouting face. "If I remember correctly we _kissed_ a little bit. And actually…I think we practiced some hand-holding and maybe even a little finger action." He held his right hand up and wiggled his fingers in the air.

Gabriella's eyes widened and her head whipped around to look at her husband grinning at the apparent memories. "You did not!"

Troy wiped the smile off his face and raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. "Yeah," he nodded his head. "I did."

They lay there quietly for a moment. "At age twelve? You got a girl to allow you to use your fingers on her? Like…you…you squeezed her breasts with your fingers." Gabriella really didn't want to let her mind wander on this subject too much, but if Troy had learned what to do with his fingers at such a young age she was suddenly worried about the boys that might be trying to woo their oldest daughter.

"Not exactly." Troy grinned again. "I do believe," he rolled onto his side and used his fingers to sweep softly across Gabriella's cheek causing her to tense at his touch that now seemed so foreign and wrong to her. "My finger skills were so good that I had her spinning in my palm quite often."

"Troy!" Gabriella lost her breath at the thought of him fooling around with another girl…her own memories of things Troy had done to _her_ with his fingers as their relationship progressed…and finally the trail that she suddenly realized his fingers were wandering on down the center of her body.

"You…you always told me basketball was your number one concern in middle school. Wh-when did you have time to _play with_ a girlfriend?" she lay completely still as his fingers found the bottom of the nightshirt she was wearing and began to find their way under it.

When the tips of his fingers came in contact with the smooth skin of her stomach he gently caressed hoping to ease the tension in her body.

"Did…did you ever…did she…" Gabriella began to chew on her bottom lip and then just stopped. There was no way she was going to get jealous over a relationship that Troy had when he was twelve. Why was she letting it get to her?

"Maybe I should just call Grammy Luce and find out who this Bonnie was. Is she still around?" Gabriella still wouldn't allow herself to look at Troy's face or give in to the comforting strokes he was placing on her abdomen.

"Brie? I'm right here. Why can't you just ask me? And yes, by the way, she is still around." He thought for a second. "Yep, still in Albuquerque." Then her furrowed his eyebrows in thought and removed his hand from Gabriella's skin. "As a matter of fact…now that I think about it…"

Gabriella watched with wide eyes as Troy climbed out of bed. "Where are you going? Troy?"

"I think I'm gonna give her a call." Troy attempted to say seriously knowing he had his wife's complete attention.

"Troy!" Gabriella tried not to yell too loudly as he walked out of the bedroom. "TROY!" she raised her voice another level before climbing out of bed herself and following him down the hall. "Troy Alexander you cannot call someone on a whim after nine o'clock at night. What if this woman has children – yoo-hoo – _like we do_ – who need to be in bed right now?"

In her conversation pointed at the floor Gabriella practically ran over her husband who had stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the hallway. "What are you doing?" she asked as her body barely moved his in the collision.

Troy didn't say a word. He pushed his wife backwards a foot or two and then reached toward the ceiling where he grabbed the string that opened the passage way to their attic. He pulled down and slowly let the wooden ladder slide down until he could climb up on it.

Jon Jack and Maria Lucille both appeared at the doors of their rooms. "What's Dad doin'?" Jon Jack asked.

Gabriella looked at her two oldest children. "I'm not sure but I think he's just about gone off the deep end." She watched Troy begin to climb the ladder up into her ceiling.

"What's that even mean the little boy asked? Ooo, can I go up there too Dad?" Jon quickly stepped up on the bottom rung of the ladder.

"What? No!" Gabriella pulled their son away from the ladder and took a moment to reach up and smack Troy's behind. "You see what you've caused?" Now she huffed in a slight bought of frustration.

"Kids, go back to bed, please? Your _father_ is in his own little world right now. And I'd really prefer it if you didn't join him." She stood watching her husband's feet disappear into the uppermost part of their home.

Gabriella shook her head as Mac and Jon continued to stare. Both of the kids had now come out into the hall to watch and see what their dad was doing in the attic.

"If you come back down here with a little black book that has Bonnie's number in it, I'm leaving. I hope you know that." Gabriella called up into the darkness. "Troy, I'm serious. Come back down here. You can look up her number tomorrow…or her address…"

"Who's Bonnie?" Mac finally questioned causing her mother to look down at their nearly teenage daughter.

"She's apparently one of Daddy's old girlfriends." Gabriella felt a slight drop in her heartrate as she spoke the words.

"But I thought you were his only real girlfriend in school." Mac pushed her shoulder against her mother's upper arm trying to joke with her.

"Apparently there was at least one other…" Gabriella somewhat mumbled.

She looked at her daughter again. "You don't let things get to serious with Dylan or any other boy that you think you like, you got it?" she ordered without warning.

Maria Lucille backed up a step and nodded at her mother. "Geez, Mom, I'm just texting. It's not like we've even held hands or anything."

"It's the _or anything_ that worries me…thanks to your father." She turned her attention to their son. "And _you._ Don't even plan on having a girlfriend until you're 25. If I catch you on the phone with a girl…" her tirade was interrupted by an obviously excited Troy at the top of the ladder.

"Ah-Hah!" Troy grinned down at the majority of his family. "Mac, catch this!" he held out an orange basketball, just a bit smaller than a regulation size sphere. When he dropped it into his daughter's hands he quickly turned butt first and climbed down the ladder.

As they stood in the hallway Troy put the ladder back in place and closed the hatch on the ceiling. Then he turned and looked at his wife. "Go back to the bedroom."

"What?" Gabriella looked at him, almost tearfully, thinking that he had kept some huge secret from him about his young life and even more, about his experience with girls.

"Just go back to the bedroom." He grinned.

Gabriella looked again at her kids. "Bed guys, now." Her voice was firm and demanding to the kids letting them know that she was upset. And, even if it wasn't their fault, they should just leave their mom alone or they might feel the brunt of her anger.

Troy followed Jon Jack into his room and tucked the little boy in once more. He then moved into Mac's room and grinned at his daughter.

"What's this about an old girlfriend? You've got Mom pretty upset you know." Mac lectured her father.

"I know." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Just give me the ball and I'll take care of things." He smiled at his daughter.

Mac took one more look at the worn orange ball. "Wait, what's this?" she noticed something written on the leather. "B-o-n-n…"

"Just give me the ball." Troy grabbed the item out of her hands. "Go to sleep. And quit texting Dylan. It's bedtime not boyfriend time." He stated more calmly than he expected.

"Daaadddd." Mac whined behind him.

"Go to sleep." He walked out of her room and stopped right outside the door of the bedroom he shared with his wife.

Troy raised the basketball up to his index finger and made a quick move to start the ball spinning as he opened the door of the room and walked in. Gabriella was sitting cross legged on the bed with a pillow in her lap.

"Did you call _Bonnie?_" she asked with just a hint of venom in her voice.

"Nope." Troy said as he held the ball a little higher and smacked it a few times to keep it spinning. He then concentrated as he transferred the ball first to his middle finger, then his ring finger and then finally to his pinky as it kept spinning. He finished the trick by tossing the ball into the air from his pinky and then catching it and letting it spin on his open palm.

"Heads up." He called to his wife who had been watching, but didn't expect the ball to come flying toward her.

"Troy…" she whined as she put her hands up quickly to protect her face but caught the ball in her lap.

Troy crawled up on the bed beside her and turned the tables, making his way behind her to begin a loving massage on her neck and shoulders. He kissed the base of her neck once and felt her flinch. Troy then pointed to the ball. "Look at it." He instructed.

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and tried her best not to give in to her husband's magic fingers.

"Look at it." Troy said again more forcefully.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, picked up the ball and began to turn it quickly in her hands. After the third or fourth rotation she noticed the faded marker etchings on the ball. She slowed the turns and finally stopped to see the light drawing of a face. Eyes, nose and mouth were looking back at her. And when she turned it a bit farther she noticed the letters that Mac had seen.

Troy felt her relax under his touch and knew she was now grinning.

"Bonnie." She said softly. She turned her head toward her husband and dipped her chin down shyly. "Bonnie is a basketball?" she dared to ask.

"And did you see the finger workout she gave me? Baby, Bonnie is the one that kept my fingers in amazing shape through middle school. So by the time _you _ came along…" he let his words drift away and wagged his eyebrows at his wife.

"What's up with the face?" she leaned back in Troy's arms and let him send his fingers on a tantalizing path under her shirt.

"Um, that's Chad's." he spoke quickly.

"Uh-huh, sure it is. You fingered and palmed this ball and you think I'm gonna believe the face belongs to Chad?" she placed the ball gently on Troy's side of the bed then turned in his arms and pushed him down on the bed.

Troy just grinned at his wife. Gabriella straddled his legs and bent down for a kiss that made her head spin.

She glanced toward the basketball where the drawn-on eyes were watching them. Gabriella quickly turned the ball around to the blank side. "Sorry Bonnie…" she grinned mischievously at her husband as she removed her top. "I appreciate you helping him learn…but his fingers are _all mine_ now."

**TGTGTG**


	12. Dirty Laundry

**Hi All! :) For those of you who have asked me to update Everyday, thank you...and I'm trying. Unfortunately, writing that scenario isn't an 'everyday' type of assignment. I know Z & V have given us a TON of stuff to work with lately and I'm trying to put my thoughts together. I hope you'll have patience with me.**

**On this one, as always, I own nothing more than the names of the kids, and lots of HSM trinkets and memorabilia. Hope you'll enjoy.**

**And as always, KTZLF! :D -adc

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"Mommy was playing with Daddy's underwear."

It was the unexpected response that Troy Bolton got from his youngest daughter soon after asking 'What went on here at home today?' when he got home from work.

He quickly looked toward his wife who was standing open-mouthed at the stove stirring the various items that would make up their dinner for the evening.

"Oh really?" he said, aiming his comment in the direction of their daughter but keeping a close eye on his wife. Before he even had a chance to raise one suspecting eyebrow at Gabriella she raised her voice at the four year old.

"Becca Beth Bolton!" she rolled her eyes as she noticed her husband watching her. "I was not playing with Daddy's underwear." She attempted to justify the simple task she was performing. "I was _folding laundry._" She emphasized.

Troy walked over to his wife with a grin on his face just as their other two children made their way into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek.

"I knew you liked playing with my underwear while they're _on_ me. I had no idea that you got a kick out of them when I'm not even home." Troy planted a kiss against her ear just before Gabriella elbowed him in the ribs.

"Troy!" she called out and shook her head.

"Ooo, she used your real name, not the nickname. Way to go Dad!" came the cheer from their oldest. Maria Lucille laughed at her dad as he held his side.

"Do _not_ encourage him Maria Lucille or you'll be walking home from basketball practice." Gabriella advised her daughter.

"What did you say Dad?" Jon Jack jumped into the conversation.

"Daddy likes it when Mommy plays with his underwear." Becca Beth informed her older siblings.

Gabriella smacked her hand slightly against the table as she eyed each of her children. "I was _folding the laundry." _She repeated with a blushing face.

Troy wasn't sure if her face was red because of the subject matter and the kids' ages, or if she was getting angry because they were picking on her. Either way he placed an index finger over his lips signaling all of the children to shush. He then quickly changed the subject.

"Dinner smells really good Sweetheart, anything I can do to help?" he put on his most innocent face as Gabriella turned to look at him.

Troy sighed lightly realizing his wife was agreeing to their temporary truce. He knew the subject would come up again later. But for now he was content just getting glasses out of the cabinet and making sure the kids had something to drink with their meal.

**TGTGTG**

"So did the little princess get under your skin before I got home?" Troy poked his head into the master bathroom where Gabriella was washing her face and getting ready for bed.

"Not really," she sighed and shook her head as she looked at her husband through the mirror. She kept her eyes on him a few moments longer as he began to unbutton his shirt. Gabriella quickly pulled the wash cloth back up to her face when Troy caught her watching him and let a corner of his lips raise in a half-way seductive smile. "She was no more rotten than usual. Although I do think Coach is putting ideas in her head again."

Troy looked into the mirror as he continued to undress. "What has my father done this time?"

"Well, there was a basketball camp registration form in her backpack. There was a post-it note on the form that said 'I'll be available this week if needed.' With 'Coach' signed at the bottom." Gabriella grinned as she picked up her toothbrush. "You can guess who picked her up from preschool today."

Troy had to grin. "I'm guessing it wasn't Grammy or Mimi…so that leaves Papa Jack." He stepped into the bedroom and tossed his shirt into the hamper and began to wriggle out of his pants.

His mind began to wander back to the pre-dinner conversation. "Hey Brie?"

He heard her spit into the sink before answering. "Yeah?"

"So the, um, underwear thing, before we ate. Sorry about that."

Gabriella wiped her mouth and wandered into the bedroom. She pulled back the comforter and sheet and climbed into bed before saying anything else. "Becca just caught me off guard that's all. And I really didn't expect you to play along with her. Especially not when the other two came in the room. You know Mac is starting to pick up on these things now."

"Don't remind me. I don't even want to think about her seeing boys' underwear." Troy sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands.

"She does have a younger brother Wildcat, and you are also in the house. She knows the difference between boxers and briefs. And she's quite aware that guys and girls have different…parts." Troy's wife slid her glasses onto her face and propped herself up with a couple of pillows to begin reading over her case files for the next day.

"Don't remind me. I'm seriously trying to pretend that she's not old enough for that." Troy lifted the covers and swung his legs into the bed. He turned and smiled at his wife wearing the not-so-skimpy camisole pajama top. He knew she had a matching pair of shorts on underneath.

Troy leaned back on his pillow and grabbed the remote control to find ESPN on the satellite channels. They sat quietly for several minutes while he checked the sports scores. When the Hanes commercial came on he had to chuckle.

His low laugh caught Gabriella's attention making her look at him first and then at the tv. She glanced at her husband's grinning face and then let her eyes wander down his naked chest to his waist, where she could see the top of his boxers before his cotton sports shorts covered the thin navy blue material.

Troy caught her glance, and the little huff of air that left her lips when she turned her eyes back to the file folder in front of her. "Boxers or briefs?" he tried to ask casually while staring at the television.

"Hmmm?" Gabriella asked without looking away from the papers that were propped on her knees.

"Which do you prefer, boxers or briefs?" Troy stretched and put down the remote control on the bedside table. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand to watch his wife.

"Wearing or washing?" Gabriella countered. She knew he had seen her checking him out just a moment before and now was working hard to avoid giving him a real answer to his question.

Troy decided to play along. "You _wear_ boxers or briefs? So you've started _wearing_ my underwear as well as thinking about me in it?"

Gabriella looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She had to think carefully before answering that question. There _were _a few times during college and the first couple of years of their marriage when she had _accidentally_ brought home a pair of Troy's boxers and worn them as her pajamas, knowing that she wouldn't see him again for a few weeks.

She slowly lifted her fingers to the earpiece of her glasses and tugged them gently off her face, trying to be nonchalant about her thinking process. She placed the tip of one earpiece in her mouth.

Troy was oblivious to her sideways glance but he definitely saw the lip nibbling that was happening as his wife pretended to continue reading her homework. That caused him to scoot closer to her and take the glasses from her hand.

"You seriously _do_ wear my underwear?" he asked with raised eyebrows, holding back the laugh that he knew would make her pout.

Gabriella huffed and looked at him finally. "Boxers." She nearly spat out the one word causing Troy to widen his eyes and his smile.

"Seriously?" his voiced raised a notch. Gabriella wearing his t-shirts was commonplace, even since high school. He had admitted to her how that fact had affected him. Seeing Gabriella wearing his number, his t-shirt…sleeping in one of his button-down shirts…was something so sexy in Troy's mind that he found it hard to keep control. Now the thought that she might wear something else so simple, yet intimate, was thrilling him to no end.

She finally let her shoulders shrug and looked at her husband with the big brown eyes that told him she was his, completely his.

"Seriously." She conceded. "But it was more…like mainly in college…when you were playing ball and we knew we wouldn't see each other for a few weeks...and I knew…well, I just knew I'd miss you." Her child-like voice ran through Troy like a flood of hot water.

Troy leaned up to grab a kiss from her lips. "But how did you…? I mean I never even knew you had… When did you take…? Was there a particular pair?"

"Troy, you really don't need details about this do you? Isn't it enough that I've admitted wearing them?" she asked with her voice dropping to nearly a whisper.

He placed a hand on her arm and looked into her eyes. "Please?" After more than two decades together he certainly knew the way to his wife's heart.

She shook her head a little and sucked in a deep breath. "Do you remember the second semester of our freshmen year? Basketball season and you had back to back road games, plus I had a couple of major research projects for the honors program?"

Troy thought back on the time fondly knowing they had still talked almost every day at some point while they were apart, even if it was nearly a month without seeing each other.

"Remember the weekend before that all started, you got your coach's permission and came down to Stanford to spend the Friday and Saturday night. We both had laundry to do and I suggested that we just throw our stuff together and get it done all at once while you were here." Gabriella knew she was stretching the limits of her husband's memory bank, asking him to think back more than 20 years.

"That was the first time we did laundry together, right?" Troy surmised.

Gabriella nodded and tucked her bottom lip between her teeth. "When we were folding the clothes, I noticed you just kinda bypassed folding your underwear. So later on, after we…well, when you were asleep, I went back and folded them for you."

Troy ducked his head in embarrassment. "I was a little embarrassed. And I figured you'd caught me staring at you when you pulled out a couple of your bras and…other…stuff."

Gabriella grinned shyly. "Why is this such a big deal? We've been married and we've got three kids."

Troy tucked a finger under her chin to make sure their eyes met. "Because this is one of those secrets that doesn't matter to anybody but us. It's not gonna make any difference in anything, but it's something you've kept to yourself. So…" he rolled his hand in front of him encouraging her to continue.

She sighed again. "Alright, alright. You're right. You're gonna think this is silly. But you had a pair of black, silk boxers. They were, I don't know, I guess I figured you wore them maybe with a suit or something because they just seemed more appropriate, or dressy?" she blushed remembering her thoughts at the time. "I'd never seen you wear them but I could imagine them brushing up against me…when we were in bed together. So I kinda borrowed them for a while."

Troy scrunched his eyebrows together making her think that he didn't remember. But after just a moment he looked directly at her with the same expression. "I wondered where those were for like three years and then they suddenly showed back up in my underwear drawer."

"No you didn't!" Gabriella took his expression as mocking her.

"I swear to you I did. Do you want to know how I remember that?" Troy raised his eyebrows and began to run his fingers up and down her bicep. "It's because I went into Victoria's Secret at the mall where you told me you had bought that sexy nightie that you wore at Christmas that year. Remember when we came back to California together for that New Year's and our parents knew exactly what we were up to?"

Gabriella laughed. "I didn't even think I'd had it on long enough for you to pay attention to it. You broke the strap getting it off my shoulder…horny boyfriend." She smirked at the memory, and at their nervousness before poking a finger in Troy's chest and puckering her lips to steal a kiss from him.

It certainly hadn't been their first time making love. However it was the first time that a lot of thought had been put into it, and the first time they had openly gotten a hotel room together since the dorms weren't open again. And they had openly told their parents that they were going to spend New Year's together. It was their anniversary. They were going to California, getting ready to get back to school, and would share a hotel room until their school rooms reopened.

"_That_, My Darling, will forever be _the best_ New Year's _ever_ in my book." Troy grinned at her. "That's the thing. I went and found the exact nightie that you wore and bought another one for you. But when I was looking around, one of the women in the store asked me if I'd ever worn silk boxers. She said it would _enhance_ the _experience_ if we were both wearing the same material. So I went out and bought a couple of pairs of silk boxers. But after that weekend's laundry I could only find one pair of them. I figured one had gotten lost in the dryer like a sock."

Gabriella finally closed the folder that was resting on her thighs and moved it to the nightstand. She scooted herself down in the bed until she could rest her head on the pillows to look at her husband.

"You never gave me the other nightgown." She smiled slightly and reached up to run a finger through his hair.

"I took it with me on the road trips. All. Four. Years." He admitted with truth coursing through his voice.

"Why?" Gabriella raised her head to ask and then ran her thumb across his eyebrows and her fingertips across his cheek.

He sighed against her palm as she rested it on his face and reached toward the shell of his ear. "Why did you keep my boxers?" Troy finally asked.

Gabriella leaned forward and held a warm kiss against his lips, moving ever so slightly to taste his breath against her skin. "I _wore_ your boxers to feel closer to you while you were gone." She whispered.

She pulled back momentarily and grinned at him. "Please tell me you didn't wear the nightie."

Troy nuzzled her neck and began to place kisses at the edge of her collar bone. "Nope. It was too small." She laughed once and then lay back on her pillow as Troy moved to continue his lip and tongue massage.

"I did, however," he raised up over her and stared down as he began to push the strap off her shoulders. "hold it against me several times to imagine that you were sleeping beside me."

Troy dipped his kisses lower and lower until he reached the point that brought a pleasured moan from his wife's throat.

"I'm sure glad we don't have to resort to those measures anymore, aren't you?" she found her voice enough to ask as hands began to roam.

"Baby?" his soft voice beckoned her attention once more. "If I had a pair of silk boxers now, would you wear them for me?"

Gabriella's eyes popped open at his question. Troy felt her body slightly stiffen under his lips making him raise his head to grin at her.

Troy crawled over her to get off the bed. He went to the dresser and opened his top drawer, reaching to the very back. He pulled out the black material and held it up for Gabriella to see.

Then he held them up a bit farther and examined them carefully. "That's weird." He mentioned and stepped toward his wife. "I bought these about a year ago but I know I never took the tags off of them."

Even in the darkness he could tell Gabriella was blushing. "They're hard to wear when the tag's poking in my waist." She bent her index finger to bring him closer to the bed and take the underwear from his hands.

"Gabriella Bolton," he faked a gasp. "Have you been wearing my boxers?"

"Here's another secret for you Wildcat." She uncovered her body and slid the shorts and panties off her lower half before shimmying into the silk material. She then saw her husband's eyes glaze over in pure pleasure as he began to climb back into bed.

"Sometimes I miss you when you're only gone a couple of hours. And just maybe, Becca caught me doing more than _folding_ the laundry."

**TGTGTGTG**


	13. Zanessa Theory

**Have I ever said there's a lot of me in this story? If not, I'm saying it now! You know where this chapter comes from and there is likely to be a follow-up chapter with a little more humor attached. **

**KTZLF! - True Love Finds Its Way! -adc

* * *

  
**

Gabriella sat in the car in the garage with the cell phone to her ear. She put the car in park and rolled her eyes as she listened to her best friend attempting to rationalize the emotional roller coaster that Gabriella had been riding for the past few days.

"Taylor it's stupid and I know that. I just need to get that through my head." She huffed.

"_Gabriella, it's not stupid. You are a romantic at heart and to see a couple that is so in love suddenly saying they are going to separate…it's heart wrenching. I know. You and I have shared this for the past five years."_

Gabriella rested her wrist on the steering wheel and then put her head down on it. Letting a couple of tears seep onto her sleeve, she missed seeing her husband opening the door and worriedly watching her.

Troy leaned up against the door between the garage and their utility room and observed his wife's actions. She was obviously talking on the phone and pretty obviously emotional. Any good husband of more than a decade would take those as signs to be concerned.

"Tay, we'll have to continue this later. I'm home." She pulled the key from the ignition and noticed Troy standing there. "Well crap."

"_What's up?"_ Taylor wanted an explanation for the gentle expletive.

"My loving husband is waiting for me to get out of the car. If he realizes this is about Zanessa again he'll be angry."

"_Troy wouldn't get angry, he may roll his eyes at you but he won't be angry. The man loves you too much. Just explain it to him."_

Gabriella and Troy exchanged glances before she dropped her head to speak into the phone again. "That's just it…I'm afraid of how I'm gonna react if he rolls his eyes. I don't want him to think this is silly. I don't know why but it means something to me…I guess."

After catching her eye Troy stepped down the two stairs and came directly to the driver's side of the car to help his wife.

"Gotta go, seriously Tay. I'll talk to you later ok?" Gabriella sighed.

"_I'll check up on you later. Text me if you get online. We can chat that way or talk on the phone, whichever you want." _Gabriella's friend instructed.

"Thanks Tay, love you."

Gabriella's practical sister did her best to send subliminal hugs through the phone. _"Love you too. This is not stupid. It's just going to take time to work out. Hear me?"_

Gabriella threw in a quick 'Yes Ma'am' before Troy was able to unlatch the door.

"Brie, what's wrong?" his concerned voice quickly touched her heart.

"It's nothing to worry about, really." She avoided looking him in the eye as she tried to blink and keep back the few other random tears that were still lingering.

"You sit in the car on the phone and in tears and it's nothing to worry about?" Troy tried to get a finger under her chin but felt her resistance so he opted for running a finger along her cheek and pushing hair away from her face. "Who were you talking to? Was it Mimi?" he watched her take in a slow breath to try and calm herself.

"No. It was just Taylor." Gabriella admitted.

"She ok? Chad ok? Everything alright?" he really didn't want to play 20 questions if there was something wrong.

"Yeah, yeah, they are fine. Nothing wrong, really." She tried again.

Troy stopped her just before the two of them went inside the house. "Sweetheart, please tell me what's going on. You've been up and down over the past few days and the tears just now. You know I worry about you."

Gabriella had to smile at her husband. Even if the reason was stupid – and he hadn't put the pieces of that puzzle together just yet – he still cared.

"I know Wildcat. I got your texts and your voice mail while I was in court. I know you worry. And I appreciate it and I love you. Just…this time…really…it's not something you need to worry about." She tiptoed up and kissed his cheek then walked past him to make her way into their home.

In another split second Troy grabbed her bicep gently but firmly and turned her around to face him. She noticed his wide eyes and froze in her tracks waiting to answer whatever had come to his mind. "Gabriella." He paused for a second just looking at her and then licked his lips. "Are…" he hesitated and pressed his lips together.

"Troy, now your scaring me." She stated. "What are you thinking?"

He looked down toward her stomach and gingerly moved his hands down her arms until he could grasp her fingers. "Are _we_ gonna have another baby?" he nearly whispered.

Gabriella's eyes grew to the size of quarters when she realized what he was asking.

"You…if you're pregnant, Baby…" Troy stumbled with his words. "I don't want you to be afraid to tell me, please. You know you can tell me anything. And…and it would be a huge adjustment, but you know I'll be right here by your side." He finally let the words come out of his suddenly fearful heart.

Gabriella stared at him for just a moment with her wide eyes and his hands holding hers. "Troy?" she tilted her head to look at him more clearly and squeezed on his hands to get his attention. As she thought about his words her features softened.

"Wildcat," she eased as he looked into her face. "Do you recall nearly passing out in the urologist's office…what was that, almost five years ago now?"

Troy's eyes squinted, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"Remember Sweetheart, I was there. The doctor called me in and I sat with you and drove you home…when you had your vasectomy?" She smiled at him and nodded taking him back to the time, just a few short months after Becca Beth Bolton had been born.

"Of course I remember that. But sometimes…there's always that chance…it's not 100 percent effective, you know." He tried to lay out the facts.

"Troy, I'm quite aware of that. But my darling, I think…if there had been a problem, we would've known before now. We certainly haven't been abstinent for the past four years. And God knows we've had nights when I've thought I had to be pregnant after the way you made love to me. So if it didn't happen then…" Gabriella shook her head with a soft smile, "it hasn't happened now. I'm not pregnant Wildcat. I promise you I'm not pregnant."

Troy breathed a sigh of relief as he returned her smile. He placed a hand on her cheek and continued to look at her. "But you are scared to tell me what's got you upset. Why?" he wondered.

Gabriella stared down at the floor and tried to turn out of his warm hold but couldn't. "Because with everything else going on in our lives, my reason for being upset is completely stupid."

"Tell me Baby, please?" Troy tried again, wanting to help her. "I'm sure it's not stupid. Just tell me."

Gabriella shook her head slightly "It's nothing. I'll be just fine," she finally willed him to let go of her and walked on into the house.

In the kitchen she was met with the sight of her oldest doing homework at the kitchen table while their son and youngest daughter played a video game in the living room. Maria Lucille looked up at her mom and smiled as she pulled a card from her school binder.

"Kaylee asked me to give this to you today." Mac held the envelope out toward her mother.

Gabriella took the card and looked at her daughter obviously confused. "Is it from her mom or something?"

Mac shook her head. "No, it's from Kaylee. I told her that you were bummed about the Zanessa breakup so she made you a card. I guess it's like a Get Well card or something, I didn't look at it."

Gabriella smiled gently at her daughter but then turned her back on the girl as she tugged a bit nervously on the flap of the envelope. She felt Troy step behind her and knew he could see her shoulders sagging.

"Wait a minute." He reached out a single hand to touch her shoulder. "Is that what this is about? You're upset because young Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood are breaking up?"

"Nobody said they're breaking up." Gabriella shot back without thinking. She shrugged her shoulder so he could see. "Besides, they aren't married. It's not like they're going through some messy divorce or something." She added.

"But Brie, that's why you're upset? Is that why you were in tears when you pulled in the garage? Over Zac Alexander and Anessa Hart breaking up?" Troy asked again just to make sure he was getting this straight.

Gabriella swallowed hard just to try and ease her nerves. The tone of his voice was exactly what she expected. He wasn't making fun of her out loud, not yet, but in his head she knew he was rolling his eyes and mentally berating her.

"I told you it was nothing to worry about." She answered. Then she headed directly to the staircase and up to their bedroom. The slight slam of the door was really the only indication that Troy needed to know that he had struck a nerve with his wife.

**TGTGTG**

Gabriella didn't mean to slam the door to the bedroom. But again she was feeling silly or stupid and was just tired of the teardrops and lumps in her throat. She sat down hard on the bed and kicked off her shoes letting them land awkwardly against their dresser.

She looked around the room and then gripped the side of the mattress and rocked back and forth a couple of times. _Why is this affecting me like it is? I don't know those kids. They are young enough to be my own children. I just don't get it._ Her mind circled with the same complaints that she had been fighting for almost the entire week.

The couple in question, Zac Alexander and Anessa Hart, were Hollywood's IT couple. The two had met on the set of a musical movie and hit it off from the very beginning. Even the producers had noticed their connection from the very start and didn't even attempt to put the two actors with anyone else for the tryouts. The duo had been so good that they had reunited for two sequels to that movie.

Within that five year span the young couple – in their 20's at this point – had not just been costars and friends, but had dated, fallen in love, and grabbed Gabriella's heart.

She leaned back on the bed and curled her knees up toward her chest. Their story, their young love, had caught her attention after their first movie. She had taken Maria Lucille to see that first movie because that's what all the kids were going to see. Gabriella had admitted quickly to Troy that it had catchy music and thought he would enjoy it. So they took their young daughter back to see it a second time. And Troy agreed, it was cute.

When it was announced that there would be a sequel Gabriella's ears perked up. It wasn't the movie mention, but the fact that the entertainment report added in a somewhat personal piece of information about the young actor and actress. Apparently the two had been seen together in Hawaii – and that vacation had nothing to do with the movie.

Suddenly Gabriella found herself scouring the internet for more information and she discovered the paparazzi pictures of the young couple enjoying themselves, and each other, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. At that very moment Gabriella was reminded of her own romance that had begun nearly twenty years before.

Since that time she had placed Zac and Anessa in her and Troy's own situations. As she saw their looks of love and watched their relationship develop – via tv reports, magazines and the internet gossip – she relived her own growing love with her husband.

That, she finally began to realize, was a reason she was hurting. Watching their love had bolstered her love with Troy. There had never been anything lacking in Gabriella and Troy's sex life. However, the young love that Zac and Anessa reintroduced put an added spark back into their bedroom time.

Gabriella would swear she felt more energized on nights when Zac and Anessa had been spotted together, out and about in Hollywood. Her Wildcat would swear something had made her more bold in their lovemaking, but never questioned what that was. He knew of her infatuation with the musical movies. He knew of her obsession with Zac and Anessa. And, he knew that _he_ was benefitting from both. Troy Bolton's take on his wife's Hollywood Couple addiction was simply this… _Don't look a gift horse in the mouth._

Gabriella finally let the tears come from her eyes and felt them run down onto her pillowcase. She realized quickly that the absorbent material under her head was the pillowcase that Troy had given her for her birthday. The one with a picture of Zac and Anessa on it. Somewhere in the back of her mind Gabriella felt a little twinge of fear. _If Zac and Anessa really were breaking up would she and Troy be ok?_

**TGTGTG**

Troy looked at his twelve year old daughter who was sitting at the kitchen table playing on the laptop computer and texting with a friend. He wasn't sure what he wanted to ask her but he certainly needed a female perspective…and at the moment she was the only one available.

Maria Lucille kept an eye on her father as well. She glanced up at him a few times and noticed him watching her. "What?" she finally asked him with a shake of her head. "Did I do something?" she raised her eyebrows in thought.

Troy shook his head. "I guess I just don't get it."

Mac looked at him over top of the computer. Her father looked perplexed as though he was trying to understand something but just couldn't get a grip on it. The pre-teen lowered the laptop screen and put her elbows on the table. "Try me." She offered to her dad.

"What's the big deal about the Zanessa breakup? Who really cares if they are together or not?" he finally questioned with one arm across his stomach and the other stretched out with an open palm trying to grasp the answer.

Mac shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. All I know is that Mom and Aunt Tay talk about them _a lot_. They read stories about them on the computer and make up conversations about them and stuff. Sometimes it sounds like they are pretending to be Anessa or something. They really seem to admire…what's the word Mom uses…the romance?"

Troy stepped toward the table and placed his hands on the back of a chair to lean down closer to his daughter. "The romance? I've given your Mom romance for twenty years. Why does she need to go looking for it in Hollywood teenagers?"

Maria Lucille put her hands up in surrender. "I'm just telling you what I've seen and heard. Maybe… You guys are always talking about how fate brought you together and stuff. Maybe she sees the same kind of thing happening to them. Maybe they remind her of you guys at that age."

Troy listened to his daughter and then turned to go back to the dinner he was preparing. Mac watched him, wondering if he was taking her words seriously or if they had just fallen on deaf ears. She quietly got up from the table and headed toward the stairs. If her father wasn't going to check on her Mom, she would.

With her own words and Troy's playing in her head the oldest Bolton daughter knocked softly on the bedroom door.

"What?" Gabriella answered, expecting to hear Troy's voice responding.

"Mom, are you ok?" The young female voice was a somewhat pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, Mackey, I'm fine." She started to say something else but her sniffling and slight cough only lead her daughter to turn the knob and open the door.

"Why don't I believe you?" the twelve-year-old asked gingerly.

At the question Gabriella had to shrug her shoulders, feeling a role reversal in the making. "I can't make your father understand when I don't understand it myself." She smiled sweetly at her daughter and then patted on the bed for the girl to come sit beside her.

"Can you try to tell me?" Maria asked and for the first time Gabriella felt that her daughter genuinely wanted to hear her answer – only this time she didn't have one.

"When I look at them I guess I think about two things. First, for some reason they remind me of me and your dad. The way they look at each other and hold hands or touch each other…It's the way I think we used to be." She smiled at the slight blush that adorned her daughter's face.

"You guys are still like that. Don't you hear me and Jon moaning and groaning when you hug or kiss? And it's not just here in the house. You guys do it when we're at the mall or at church or at Grammy and Papa's house. Heck, even Papa says you guys are as bad now as you were in high school." Her eyes sparkled with the information that Troy's father had fed to her just a few weeks prior.

The two laughed. Gabriella forgot momentarily what she was talking about as she thought of the coach watching her and Troy kiss. They had been caught so many times that most had given up trying to stop them…most, except for Chad – Troy's best friend and Taylor's husband – and the Coach who just simply enjoyed interrupting them… now more than ever.

Then she took a breath and looked back at her daughter. And second, I guess I hope that you and Jon and Becca will find love like that someday. Only…if they're splitting up… I don't want you guys to go through that pain. I know what it was like the few times that your dad and I tried being apart. I don't wish that pain on anyone." She sighed.

"You don't wish it for Anessa and Zac." The voice came from the doorway making Gabriella jerk at his presence. She took a shaky breath and nodded toward her husband.

"I think I'm feeling it, _for them_ right now." She admitted to her husband and daughter.

Maria scooted closer to her mom and wrapped her arms around her. "I think they'll get back together. All the stuff on the internet is saying they aren't really broken up anyway." She somewhat whispered into Gabriella's hair.

Gabriella pulled Mac's arms just a little until they could see each other face to face. "It doesn't matter either way, really, does it? But I hope you're right." She tried to cover the fact that Mac's words had thrilled her beyond belief in that moment.

Troy walked into the room and looked at the two beautiful women sitting on his bed. When it came to love, if his wife really felt it, you could see her heart's adrenaline pumping through her body. And if something happened to hurt that love you could see the pain in the same fashion.

If he had taken time to think about it in those terms he would've recognized it earlier. He had watched her help Chad and Taylor find their way back together. He had seen her thrill and her pain when Gabriella and her mother talked about her father and how much he had meant to their lives. And he had stood back and watched as Gabriella practically took over the plans for Jack and Lucille Bolton's 40th wedding anniversary.

"_Forty years Troy. That's amazing!" she had smiled at him from ear to ear. "We can't let that go by without a celebration."_

_Troy laughed at his wife and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So what happens when we get to 40 years together?" he felt one of Gabriella's arms move around his waist and she leaned her head softly against his shoulder._

"_I hope our kids will realize how special it is. And I hope I can still let you know how much I love you." She answered and turned her face up toward him._

_Troy bent his neck to offer her a kiss and was just a bit surprised to feel her hand threading through his hair to pull him closer and hold his lips against hers. He relaxed and pulled her tighter against him to make sure she knew that the feeling was mutual._

"_Will I still be your Wildcat?" he asked as they pressed their foreheads together and continued to let their mouths connect for several short, pecking kisses._

_Before Gabriella could answer, the forced cough from Jack Bolton's throat along with whines from Mac and Jon broke their romantic bubble. _

"Mac?" the look on Troy's face…the one that was staring at his wife's tear-stained eyes…was one that even a pre-teen could interpret.

"I know, I'm leaving and I'll close the door on the way out." She looked at her mom, who had yet to connect eyes with her father.

"No, I wanted to say 'thank you'." Troy offered and bent to kiss his daughter on the top of her head. Gabriella watched them both and smiled at the love she was witnessing right in front of her.

Gabriella moved her arms around her daughter and gave her a tight hug before looking up at her husband. Troy's eyes always spoke straight to her heart. She had loved that about him before she had even learned his name so many years ago.

"Now," Troy started again. "Mac would you mind keeping an eye on dinner please? Grams and Papa should be here in the next half hour. Your mom and I just need to _talk_ for a little bit so would you mind closing the door on your way downstairs?"

His words left plenty of room for her to argue or ask questions but this time, knowing her mom needed a little romantic reassurance, Maria Lucille said nothing. She looked back at her parents just in time to see her father place a single finger under her mother's chin and tilt her head back enough to place a soft kiss on her lips. Once more the young lady offered no random comments or complaints. Instead she stepped through the bedroom door and closed it with a soft click.

**TGTGTG**

"I just want them to be happy." Gabriella offered as an explanation after Troy pulled away from their kiss and sat down beside her on the bed.

Troy smiled at her and raised his hand to move a few strands of hair away from her face. "How do you know for sure that they've broken up? I looked at the page Mac had open on the computer. I thought it said they were on a break."

Gabriella breathed in deeply. "You don't really want to hear my thoughts on this do you? You're just patronizing me." She looked down at the pillow beside her and the two young faces pictured on it.

"Brie. Will it help you feel better if you tell me?" he asked genuinely and again put fingers under her chin to pull her attention back to him.

"I don't know. Taylor and I have talked about it ever since the rumors started flying. We've both been in our favorite chat rooms trying to keep everyone's chin up. But after trying to cheer them up I start wondering and thinking maybe that they have broken up." Gabriella sighed.

"Tell me what you think, please?" Troy requested. "What do you tell the girls in the chat rooms when they are sounding negative?"

Gabriella looked at her husband with tears in her eyes and forced a laugh from her chest. "You'll think it's dumb."

"Tell me anyway." He asked as genuinely as he could.

Gabriella lifted her chin and found a spot on the wall just beyond Troy's profile that she could stare at. "Well, I'm avoiding looking at all the tabloid talk. There really hasn't been an official statement for Zac or Anessa or from their p.r. people. The closest thing we've heard is that Zac's publicist said, unofficially, that they are on a break."

She could see Troy nodding from the corner of her eye. She felt his hand take hold of hers and thread their fingers together. "And?" he urged her to continue.

Gabriella moved her focus to Troy's shoulder. He could see her eyes shifting as she thought about what else to say.

"Thinking about what they have going on next year…it makes sense that maybe they would take a break. I mean she's got two or three movies coming out and she'll have to be at the premiers, and he's got who-knows-how-many movies that he's supposed to be filming. It'll be really hard for them to be together and have all that going on, probably in different cities and even different parts of the world. And they've both said they need to focus on their careers. They're both just barely into their twenties…their work has got to be a top priority for them. They just have to put their romantic relationship to the side for a little while. That makes sense." She strung the sentences together quickly forcing Troy to try and listen carefully to her reasoning.

"So she's gonna be at Stanford and he'll be in Albuquerque. Is that what you're saying?" Troy asked as he scooted farther onto the bed.

Gabriella watched as he pulled his pillow out from under the covers and made himself comfortable. "Troy…"

He reached an arm out toward her, inviting her to lie down beside him and take her normal comfortable spot resting her head against his shoulder and chest.

"No, I'm serious. Think about it. They love each other and neither of them wants the other to give up _anything_. They want their dreams to come true. But they know it's gonna be hard when they can't be together. So they've decided to support each other, even if it means they can't be _together_ together. But it doesn't mean they aren't still together. Their love is still there. Am I right?"

Gabriella nodded and nuzzled her face farther into Troy's shoulder. "You do understand." she whispered against him. "I don't know why I hurt for them, but I do."

Troy kissed the top of her head and ran his fingertips up and down her arm, caressing her elbow and lightly squeezing her bicep.

"You hurt because you know what they're going through. It's your phone call from Stanford all over again. Do you remember that? You called to tell me you were staying put, you weren't coming home for prom." Troy rolled toward her just a bit but kept her cradled against him.

Gabriella nodded but didn't say anything so Troy continued.

"I will never forget that call, the sound of your voice, or what you told me. When you told me you loved me but you had to stay put…" Troy stopped and sucked in a breath not wanting to relive the feelings that had gone through him during that high school conversation. He quickly brought his mind back to the present situation. "They probably had a similar conversation, except instead of Zac driving his beat-up pickup truck to California, they've realized they really are going to have to do things on their own for a while. But…"

Gabriella interrupted him with a teary voice. "But it doesn't mean they don't love each other."

Troy turned onto his side and scooted down in the bed until he could see his wife face to face. "Yeah. They can't be together 24/7 and make their dreams come true. Not yet at least. They've gotta have their college years at two different schools and travel with the team, or take that semester for international studies and learn what life is about without the other. But the love doesn't go away. And when they realize that work isn't everything…" Troy paused to kiss her quivering lips. "…when they realize that loving that one special person is soooo much more satisfying…" he kissed her forehead, cheeks and lips again, "and when their hearts are determined that they need to share every possible moment with each other…" he felt Gabriella's arms move around his neck and smiled as he kissed her again, "then they will be back together. We've lived it Sweetheart. We know it hurts. But we also found the way to make it work. And if they really love each other, they will too."

Gabriella pressed her lips and body as close to her husband as she possibly could. "Thank you." She whispered to him as his lips moved across her cheek and jawbone down to her neck.

"For what?" he stopped for only a split second to ask.

"For listening to me blubber and whine. For sticking with me through my ups and downs when I wouldn't talk to you, and for understanding...and helping me understand." She answered with eyes closed as she enjoyed her husband's attention.

Troy pulled back for a moment and waited for her to open her eyes and look at him. "Hello Mrs. Bolton? Am I _not_ the same guy who sings karaoke with you every New Year, and the same guy who takes you to waltz on the high school rooftop on our anniversary, and the same one who insists every few years that we leave the kids with the grandparents and relive that road trip between here and Stanford University?"

Gabriella had to laugh. "Yes Mr. Romantic. You are the same guy. Hey!" she pulled away from him with a somewhat serious look on her face.

"What? Ready to go for a drive?" Troy smirked.

"No, shush!" she smiled. "No, I think maybe you could visit Zac Alexander and give him some tips on romantic gestures…just to make sure he doesn't lose Anessa by making some stupid decision like trying to date other women or something."

Troy rolled his eyes at her suggestion. "You, Miss Stargazer, just want to use _me,_ your loving and romantic husband, to try and meet celebrities."

"You don't like my idea?" she puckered her lips and smacked a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Well, that Anessa Hart is pretty hot…"

"Troy Bolton!" Gabriella smacked his chest.

"You didn't let me finish…ouch, that hurt thank you very much…" he hesitated as Gabriella pulled his t-shirt up and landed a few kisses against the sore spot on his chest.

"Continue then…" she suggested as her hands and lips began to explore his still well-toned pectorals and abdomen.

"She's got nothing on you. _AND_ just so you know my dear, I do not share my romantic tips with any other men. Not even Chad, certainly not Dad and none of the boys on the basketball team. Jon Jack will be lucky if I share with him. So I will certainly not share them with some Hollywood hunk. He's on his own." Troy muttered and then realized that his wife had moved far beyond whatever he had just said.

"Gabriella?" he questioned as he felt her hands tugging at the waistband of his shorts.

"Hmmm?" she asked mindlessly and continued working to uncover the object of her desire.

"Have I successfully cheered you up and taken your mind off of Zac and Anessa's breakup?" the question slipped out before his pleasured moan at the feel of her fingers touching him.

"They're on a break…" she muttered before touching her lips to the inside of his thigh. "That's different from a breakup." She moved her lips to his opposite thigh and used her tongue to moisten his skin as she moved up his body.

Between her lavishing kisses all over his body she gave him a short explanation. "I just remembered what happened after the couple of breaks that we had…and I'm imagining how they might just make up for that lost time…kinda like we did." She held herself up over top of Troy with her hands on either side of his chest and looked into his eyes.

Troy held up a finger over her lips as he smiled at her. "Sweetheart, you just remember that you've _got_ me. No matter what happens with them, you and I are together, forever."

Gabriella attempted to say something but Troy shook his head. "We will hope and pray that everything works out for them. You keep your positive outlook for their relationship and I will hope along with you that they get back together or stay together."

He then curled his finger inviting her to lower her body on top of his. Troy wound his hands around his wife and kissed her as deeply as he possibly could. He couldn't help but notice when she sat herself up and began to remove her own clothes right before his eyes.

His hands moved to begin to pleasure her while she bent and began to retrace the tantalizing trail of kisses that had already sent his body into overdrive.

"Dear God…please let Zac and Anessa stay together." Troy whispered and felt Gabriella smile as she spread wet kisses over his nipples. "Cause I have a feeling I'll benefit just as much as Zac - of not more - whenever they have their makeup sessions."

Gabriella stopped just short of where she knew her husband wanted her mouth. She looked up at him and grinned after hearing the rest of his makeshift _prayer_.

She had only one other thing to add to what her Wildcat had just voiced. She held his eyes with hers and smiled coyly as she said it. "Amen."

**TGTGTGTGTG**


	14. All In The Family

**And it just wouldn't be a look at the Future Boltons without more from the kids and grandparents, right? Happy 2011 Everyone! Let's hope and pray it's a year full of KTZLF and wonderful surprises that accompany movie premieres and news of even more projects to come for both members of our fave couple!**

**Thanks to everyone for your input, ideas, reviews, pm's, e-mails and encouragement. Go Team Positive! You feed my addiction and fuel my obsession. Thank You!  
**

**KTZLF! True Love Always Finds Its Way Back! -adc

* * *

  
**

"We didn't lock the door."

Gabriella spoke against her husband's chest as she ran her hand down to its favorite spot on his stomach. She dipped the tip of her index finger into his belly button as her pinky and index finger stretched a bit lower, where the waistband of his boxer briefs usually sat. She felt the finely course hairs that led just a bit farther south on his body – the same area she had just removed herself from a few moments before.

Troy was still attempting to recover from the lovemaking that he knew had been inspired by their conversation about a young Hollywood couple. His answer to his wife was less than concerned at that very second.

"Mmm-hmmm."

Gabriella stretched her naked body against him. She loved the feeling of their skin touching. She loved wrapping herself around him completely, as they had just been, and she loved the sound of his breathing and the feel of his fingertips lightly running up and down her skin in the afterglow.

"So you don't care if one of _your_ children comes walking in on us? What if Becca Beth had come in here while I was _on top of you_?" Gabriella lifted her head to look at Troy's face.

She felt him shiver at her last words, likely remembering the ecstatic feeling he had most obviously experienced as the couple reached the heights of their orgasms together.

"Shhhh." Troy instructed her. He knew she was grinning at him, even with his eyes closed and his left forearm resting on his forehead, covering those eyelids.

Gabriella followed his instructions and laid her head back down on her Troy pillow – the area between his collarbone and breast. "Thank you, again." She nearly whispered after getting comfortable.

"For what?" Troy began to regain a bit of strength as his blood began pumping to the other regions of his body once more.

"For listening to me and understanding…the…the Zanessa stuff." She raised her thumb to her mouth and began to bite nervously on her nail.

"Were you afraid I _wouldn't_ understand? Is that why you wouldn't talk to me?" Troy wondered to her. He kept a protective arm around her and shifted his legs to make sure they were in complete contact.

Gabriella wrapped one smooth leg over his and tightened her hold on his stomach. "I was afraid you would make fun of me. That's what it sounded like downstairs when I first came in and you figured out what had me upset. You were going to make fun of me and I was gonna be pissed off at you and I didn't want that."

Troy smirked and placed a kiss in her hair as he ran his fingers up and down her arm a little quicker. "Then I've surprised you…again!" he said, quite proud of himself. "I, Troy Bolton, have come through for my wife yet again." He wrapped his other arm around her and squeezed tightly until he felt Gabriella's hand heading toward that part of his body that was still overly sensitized.

"Don't start making fun of me now!" Gabriella's fingers pinched just the tip of his penis making Troy squeal in almost a feminine fashion.

"Ok, ok, you win." He conceded and reached under the covers to forcefully move her hand before she could do more damage.

The two lay there silently just thinking about the past hour since Gabriella had gotten home. Troy placed several more kisses in her hair and Gabriella turned her face a few times to receive his kisses on her lips. Her tears had gone away with her husband's caring attitude and his love.

Troy's heart beat a little stronger just knowing he was able to convince her to talk to him. And now he understood just a little more about his wife, her obsession, and why he might need to keep a little closer eye on this situation with Zac Alexander and Anessa Hart. He rolled his eyes to himself. _Chad's gonna love this._

The knock on their bedroom door burst their comfortable, content bubble and caused them both to grab the comforter and pull it completely over their bodies before answering.

"Whatcha need?" Troy responded with the full expectation of a young voice answering him.

Instead the sound of his own mother caused Gabriella to bury herself even farther against him and under the covers. "Troy the oven timer's going off and _your daughter_ says you two have been up here for the last half hour. You have guests you know."

Troy cringed slightly, remembering another time, in high school, in his tree house, when his mother had given him practically the same announcement. Only that time he and Gabriella hadn't been naked…or married. "We'll be right down Mom." He answered.

Gabriella smiled as she lifted her face, sharing the twenty year old memory with her husband. "So I guess if we don't come down she'll come in here to get us?"

They both laughed just once until the female voice outside the door answered unexpectedly. "I heard that Mrs. Bolton."

Gabriella's eyes widened and she had to giggle while she and Troy both felt the burn of embarrassment in their cheeks. "Sorry Mom. We'll be down just as soon as I can roll Troy off the bed."

Lucille heard just a few more mumbles, laughs and an obvious thud before she shook her head and went downstairs.

"Everything ok up there?" Jack questioned his wife as he met her at the bottom of the stairs.

Lucille nodded. "I'm guessing Mac was right. I heard no tears, just some content sighs and a little bit of laughter which is good. Sounds like your son still has the touch when it comes to calming her down."

Jack grinned, "I think I should go check on them."

With a roll of her eyes Lucille blocked the stairway and refused to let him get by. "You will do no such perverted thing Jack Bolton. They've been married nearly 20 years now. If you want to embarrass them at least let them get dressed first and come downstairs."

She pointed to the seven and four year olds sitting in front of the television with game controllers in their hands. "The last thing you really want is for Gabriella to be mad at you and challenge you in front of those two. Am I right?"

Jack watched his grandson and granddaughter as they guided their characters across the tv screen. As much as he loved picking on his son and daughter-in-law, he didn't want to miss a minute with his grandkids. So he nodded at his wife.

"Do I at least get to ask Gabs about this Zanessa obsession? I want to know why they broke up too and she's the one who could tell me." He asked somewhat seriously.

"Papa, do you think she's pretty?" the voice of the seven year old boy came from the floor.

"Who's that Jon Jack?" the coach turned his face toward his grandson as Lucille pushed her husband away from the steps.

"I'm going to help Mac finish the supper her father apparently started. If anything is burnt we blame it on Troy, NOT Maria Lucille, got it?" Luce waited for Jack to smirk at her and nod. "And do NOT go upstairs. They'll be down shortly. You just leave them alone and deal with these two, am I understood?"

Jack halfway wiped the grin off his face and nodded at his wife. "Yes Ma'am." He answered with a salute before turning back to Jon.

"Anessa…the lady in the movies. Do you think she's pretty?" Jon asked while continuing to play the game.

"Well, yeah, she is quite pretty. Why?" Jack questioned while making his way down onto the carpet to sit between his two youngest grandchildren.

"I dunno." Jon answered. "How come you wanna know if she and that Zac guy broke up? Do you think you can get a date with her?"

The laugh from behind them was a single, hearty "HAH!" causing Jack and Jon Jack to turn their heads. Jack pointed a single finger at his son who had put a hand over his mouth to hold in the rest of his laughter.

"Where did that come from?" Troy finally asked while his father continued pointing at him.

"Ask your son. He's the one who came up with it." Jack informed Troy. "Where have _you_ been anyway?" the older Bolton turned the tables. "Your mom and I have been here almost a half hour and Mac has been in there slaving over a hot stove while you and the wife are upstairs cavorting in the bedroom? What kind of an example is that to set for your kids?"

Troy placed his hands on his hips and glared at his father. "Did you ask your granddaughter for details Dad? She would've told you that Brie was upset and I went upstairs to try and comfort her."

Jack nodded his chin. "Mac said she was upset about some couple breaking up."

"Anessa and Zac." Becca Beth chimed in to try and help her grandfather.

"Yeah, that's them. Who are they anyway?" Jack attempted to cover his tracks causing Troy to shake his head.

"You know who they are. You just told Jon Jack that you think Anessa's pretty. I sure hope you aren't hopping the next flight to L.A. to try and _comfort_ Anessa. She's young enough to be your granddaughter you know." Troy poked at his dad.

Jon Jack laughed. "Does that mean she's too young to be Papa's girlfriend?"

Jack leaned his head back in frustration. "For starters _young men,_" he emphasized to both his son and grandson, "I am happily married and have been for over 40 years. I am not looking for a girlfriend in Hollywood or Albuquerque or anywhere. And secondly, if your mother hears you say anything like that, I'll be sleeping here, with you, for the unforeseeable future. Is that what you want?"

Troy's eyes opened wide. "No Sir."

The two looked at Jon Jack who had paused his part in the video game. The boy thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "Would you be sleeping in my room or with Mom and Dad?"

"Yay!" came from the youngest member of the family who hadn't paid attention to hardly any of the joking conversation. "Papa Jack's gonna come live with us!"

**TGTGTG**

Gabriella made her way down the stairs running her fingers through her hair. She tugged at the polo shirt she had changed into and double checked to make sure she had buttoned the blue jeans that she had tossed on soon after she was sure that her mother-in-law had returned to the first floor.

She found Troy shaking his head and her father in law sitting on the couch saying something to Becca Beth about _needing to live with Grammy Luce, not at 'your' house._ She squeezed her eyebrows together as she looked at Troy and came to stand beside him. "What's this about?" she asked.

Troy answered with a louder voice than Jack would have liked. "Something about Dad having a crush on Anessa Hart…and now that she's free…" Troy let the sentence trail off when he noticed Jack's warning glare, and the hint of emotions on his wife's face.

"Troy Alexander…" Jack's voice edged with frustration until he also saw the look forming on Gabriella's face. The father-in-law quickly stood up and stepped toward his daughter in law.

"Gabs tell me what happened." Jack's voice softened and his arm immediately wrapped around Gabriella's shoulder and squeezed with love and concern.

"It's a little close to home, Dad." Troy attempted to pull Gabriella out of his father's grasp.

Jack raised his chin and looked at his son before placing a soft kiss against Gabriella's temple. "She and I will discuss it Troy. You two have already talked about it. I _need_ the full details and I know Gabriella is the one who can give them to me. Now go help your mother and your daughter in the kitchen. We're fine."

Troy knew his father was speaking seriously, but after the tearful conversation he and Gabriella had shared he wasn't anxious for his wife to relive this particular chat so quickly, especially not with his father.

He reached out and grasped Gabriella's fingers in his palm before Jack could pull her over to the couch. "Brie." He simply said to catch her eye.

She looked back at her husband and smiled softly. "It's ok. I know Coach and I are on a similar wavelength on this subject. Believe it or not, we've talked about them before." She admitted.

Jack cocked his chin in defiance as Troy gave him a questioning glance. "Seriously?"

Gabriella nodded at him. "Yeah. I'm ok with it Wildcat."

The doorbell ringing gave Gabriella an added incentive to send Troy away from her and the Coach. "Were you expecting someone else for dinner?" she looked at her husband.

"Nope." Troy answered. "But why don't I get the door. Since you're apparently in good hands to discuss the Hollywood love-life without me…"

Troy watched for just another second as Gabriella sat down in the corner of the couch and his father sat down right next to her. Jack squeezed her hand with reassurance as though she could share anything with him and he would understand.

When Troy opened the door the look on his face made his other visitors just a bit concerned.

"Dude, you ok?" came the voice of Troy's best friend.

Chad and Taylor looked at their friend and waited for an answer.

"Since when does Gabriella talk to my dad about matters of the heart?" he asked casually.

Taylor pushed her way past Chad and into Troy and Gabriella's home. "I knew she wasn't ok when we got off the phone. I never thought of calling the Coach…that would've been a good idea this afternoon when I realized she was on edge."

She looked into the living room and noticed Gabriella sitting and talking calmly with Troy's father. "You know actually Troy, she's been confiding in your father since before high school graduation. Isn't that when they had that heart to heart chat in the gym and you found them?"

Troy shuffled his body backwards to let Chad in the door and closed it before turning to look at Taylor again. "Yeah, I guess you're right. After being so rude to her when they first met I have to admit he's more than made up for it." Troy responded with a nod and a shrug of his shoulders.

"So back up a minute…" Taylor crossed her arms over her chest and looked back and forth between the duo on the couch and Troy.

"Hey, where's my star pitcher?" Chad interrupted with a search for the oldest Bolton child.

"Kitchen." Troy pointed. "But beware. She's cooking and Mom's in there too." He informed his best friend.

Chad rubbed his hands together and smiled an anxious grin with eyebrows waggling up and down. "Sounds like a winning combo to me – what's for supper anyway?"

Taylor began tapping her toe against the hardwood entry and eyeing her husband who had stolen Troy's attention.

"Excuse Me." Her voice raised a decibel until she was sure she had the two men's attention. "We didn't come for dinner. Did we _not_ just eat at home? And C.J. is with your mom. _Hello!"_

Troy grinned. "Bottomless Pit." He cajoled.

"Always." Chad answered without any remorse at all and turned toward the kitchen.

"Lasagna," Troy called after him. "And we are feeing seven already. Help yourself if Mom and Mac let you!" the head of the household had to laugh.

Troy and Taylor watched as Chad quickly gave the coach a high-five and then kissed Gabriella on the cheek. "You ok?" he spoke softly to the brunette and smiled as she nodded in his direction. After that he disappeared before their eyes, directly into the kitchen.

"Now." Taylor started pointedly. "Is _she_ ok and have you treated her kindly since she got home? She's in no shape for you to be picking on her." She informed Gabriella's husband without a smile anywhere on her face.

Taylor's protective side was quite obvious when it came to Gabriella, almost as much as Troy's and Chad's. And over the years Taylor had joined Lucille and Maria when it came to protecting Gabriella _from_ Troy and Chad. As the youngest of three sisters, Taylor had always wanted to play the older sister role. Gabriella's appearance in their lives had provided that opportunity. Still, the top of the list was the Coach; the man who had become Gabriella's second father.

Troy and Taylor both eyed the conversation on the couch for another moment as they still stood at the door. Finally Troy breathed in and pointed farther into the living room. "Come in Taylor. Please, make yourself at home."

The dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes at him. She walked to the recliner opposite the couch and sat down on the edge of it, refusing to get comfortable until she actually talked to Troy…big sister to brother-in-law.

Taylor was barely in the seat three seconds before she had to open her arms and embrace the four year old who ran to her.

"Aunt Tay!" Becca Beth smiled from ear to ear and then looked around. "Where's C.J.?" the little one asked quickly.

"Your cohort is at his Gran's house for a little bit." Taylor had to smile as Troy watched Becca place a kiss on her virtual aunt's cheek. Taylor tweeked Becca's nose and then wiped the smile off once more. "Uncle Chad and I just needed to come check on your mommy."

Becca glanced around the room and seemingly accepted the explanation before speaking again. She situated herself in Taylor's lap and started playing with Taylor's wedding and engagement ring. "But you're talking to Daddy and Uncle Chad's in the kitchen." Becca observed quite keenly.

Taylor tried not to huff at the little girl. _Gabriella's child. Too observant for her own good!_ She thought. "Well, your mommy's talking to the coach right now. I didn't want to be rude and interrupt them." Taylor tried to explain.

"Want me to?" Becca offered, listening and learning a new word. "I inter-tupt mommy all the time." She said proudly.

Troy laughed as he pulled up a chair beside Taylor and looked at his youngest daughter. "That's _not_ a good thing Munchkin." He told her with a chuckle. "Now, go play a little more until dinner's ready and don't _inter-tupt_ me or Mommy for a little bit. M-kay?" Troy reached for her hand and helped Becca out of Taylor's lap.

Becca nodded her little head and then headed toward the kitchen, and the one person who shared many of her wavelengths. "Unnncccllleee Chaaaaad." She called as she pushed open the kitchen door.

That left a five-some in the living room. Troy looked back at Taylor. "Welcome back to my world. You have my undivided attention for three point five minutes…maybe. So go!"

Taylor looked at him with a stern look knowing that Troy was far from scared of her. "Your wife…do you have any clue who Zanessa is and what's going on with them?"

Troy nodded his head but before he could answer, the young male voice on the floor spoke up. "They broke up." Jon Jack interjected as he spun the game controller to avoid hitting the visual barriers on the tv race course.

What followed was a unison chorus of four adult voices - two male, two female. "They did _NOT_ break up."

The group information was enough to make Jon Jack pause, look around, and shake his head. After a quick, "Geez guys." pout, he saved his game and made a beeline for the kitchen. "Where's Sissy and Uncle Chad?" he asked rhetorically.

Troy turned back to Taylor. "For your information – oh best friend of my wife – _yes_ I _do_ know who Zanessa is. And within the last hour and a half I have been made quite aware of what's happening with them. And another thing," he pointed his forehead toward the teacher-like creature before him, "I have been taking care of Gabriella for two decades now. I know how to calm her down and I _know_ how to reassure her. I have a _plethora_ of skills - that you needn't be concerned about – that are saved particularly for situations like this one."

Taylor scooted back in the recliner and shrunk down in the softness under Troy's husbandly tone. She let her eyes gaze over to the couch where Gabriella and Jack were watching the other conversation.

Gabriella patted Jack's knee and pushed herself up off the couch. She walked the few steps to cross the room and then proceeded to sit herself down in Troy's lap. Taylor inched up just a bit in the engulfing chair and pointed her chin out as though she was regaining confidence.

Taylor and Jack both watched as Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist and she weaved her arms around her husband's neck before placing her nose and lips against his cheek.

The action caused Taylor to relax just a bit but she still leaned forward and placed a hand on Gabriella's knee. She raised her eyebrows in a motherly fashion and looked into her friend's eyes. "I want to hear it from you."

The olive skin of Troy's wife turned a bit pink under the watchful eyes of her friend, father-in-law, and her husband. "Tay, I'm fine now."

Taylor took Gabriella's hand and tugged on her fingers. "That's nice to hear with these two sitting here. I want a one-on-one chat."

Troy's hold tightened around his wife enough so that even Jack noticed. He said nothing but appreciated the fact that Gabriella also tightened her grip around him in response. She took a deep breath and curved her lips upwards slightly while facing her best girlfriend.

"Wildcat…Tay and Chad cared enough to come check on me. You and Coach go on into the kitchen. Let me talk to Taylor for a few minutes. You know I'm ok now." Troy still didn't loosen his hold on her.

Gabriella moved her lips back toward Troy's ear to whisper to him. "She needs reassurance just like I did. I'm willing to bet that Chad's not exactly providing it the way you did for me." She bit her lip and pulled her face away as Troy turned to look at her with a better hint of understanding.

"You sure?" Troy asked as his arms relaxed around her.

Gabriella nodded and placed a kiss on his lips. She looked at the coach, at her husband and then at Taylor with a laughing grin on her lips. "Hey guys, we're all in this together, right?"

Jack threw his head back and shook it while Troy closed his eyes and hummed a less than content sigh. Taylor rolled her lips in a fake, disgusted fashion as she glared at Gabriella out of the corner of her eyes.

Gabriella laughed and scooted off Troy's lap. She took Taylor by the hand as she excitedly began to lead her up the stairs. "The good thing about all this?" she began explaining to her best friend as though they were tackling a high school conundrum together. "It's that we can talk about Zac and Anessa all we want to – at least for a few days. And hopefully by then we'll know more about their situation."

**TGTGTG**

Taylor followed Gabriella into the upstairs bedroom where a laptop computer sat in the corner on a desk. She noticed the roughly made bed and Gabriella's work clothes still thrown on the floor. "Are you sure you're feeling better about the Zanessa stuff, or were you coerced into _thinking_ you feel better?"

Gabriella took a deep breath and sat down in the office chair. "We talked. Troy and I, we really did talk about it. And you know what? He made me realize that somehow," she shook her head still trying to understand, "their whole scenario is more like ours than I had imagined."

Taylor sat down on the corner of the bed and watched as Gabriella leaned forward in her chair and rested her palms on her knees. She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment with a glistening in her eyes. "He, Troy, _my husband_, compared their break stuff to the time that I had to leave high school and go to Stanford. We had to make life decisions that tore me up inside Taylor. And the same kind of decisions kept going through our whole college career. Even after Troy proposed to me there was still this fear inside me that things wouldn't work out. I'm kind of reliving those fears all over again through Zac and Anessa's situation."

Taylor leaned back on her palms on the bed listening to what Gabriella was describing. Taylor had been privy to several of those fearful times in Gabriella's younger life. She couldn't count the number of times that Gabriella had called her after talking to Troy with the same line, _"I love him so much Taylor and he says it'll all work out, but I just don't know how."_

Taylor's heart felt a slight twinge run through it and she had to reach up and swipe at the tears that covered her eyes. "But you don't have _any_ control over their situation. We are possibly in for more heartache before we get any answers at all. That's what scares me." She spoke from her heart, much like Gabriella had finally talked to Troy.

Gabriella looked at her friend. "I know. And all I can figure is that if they are meant to be, their true love will bring them back together. Look at me and Troy, and you and Chad. We all went through our own real heartache and wondering and trying to figure out where our lives were taking us. If I didn't love Troy, and you didn't really love Chad, would we be here right now?"

Taylor thought for a minute. "No. Probably not. We have gone through a lot, haven't we?"

Gabriella reached out for her friend's hand. "You know the big thing that Troy told me that really, really helped?"

Taylor shook her head.

"He just said that no matter what happens with Zac and Anessa…I've still got him. He's not going anywhere, and he's not gonna let me go either."

Taylor rolled her eyes slightly and blew a discontent breath from her lips. "Can you get Troy to tell Chad that I could use the same kind of lecture?"

"I'm willing to bet, if you came home in tears and a twelve year old lectured Chad about paying attention to you then he'd listen. Course it probably also didn't hurt that for a few minutes Troy thought I was pregnant again."

Taylor's eyes grew wide. "What?"

Gabriella nodded.

"You aren't are you?" Taylor sat in wide-eyed thought.

"No!" Gabriella whined. "But when I finally convinced him of that he began to open up and wondered what was really going on. Ultimately it was Mac who set him straight though."

"Can I borrow her? Chad seems to have a real connection with her." Taylor's lips twitched into a half smile.

"Anytime my dear, any time." Gabriella answered. "Oh speaking of my oldest, she was left in charge of dinner...and the little ones. We're gonna owe her big time."

Taylor pointed over her shoulder at the messy covers on the bed. "Three kids downstairs, you in tears and Troy still finds a way to get you into bed?"

Gabriella looked at her friend. "I kind of led him into it." She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. "He did make a little teasing comment when he first realized why I was upset. So I came upstairs crying. Mac came to check on me and Troy followed her up here. She listened to me and he listened to both of us and then he sent her back downstairs to keep an eye on dinner while we _talked._"

Taylor put her hands in the air surrendering. "Say no more. I know what happens when the two of you _talk_. That boy always has been very persuasive. Someday I wish I could be a fly on the wall to find out exactly what he says that gets you so hot and bothered."

Gabriella crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a smug look. "Hey, I can be persuasive too."

Taylor grinned and pointed her finger at her best friend. "You don't say."

Gabriella laughed. "I guarantee Troy's going to be more interested in Zac and Anessa now thanks to my persuading."

"Oh?" Taylor wondered and waited for the rest of the story.

"Well, now he knows that good Zanessa news means added _benefits_ for him. And if they make up…" Gabriella let the sentence fade off for Taylor's imagination.

"_You_ coerced _him_ tonight didn't you?" Taylor guess-timated.

"He made me feel better and helped me realize why I was so upset. I had to thank him." Gabriella shrugged her shoulders.

"Pretty bold Mrs. Bolton, especially with your inlaws coming over for dinner." Taylor chuckled.

"Hey, what can I say, sometimes it's worth the risk." Gabriella watched as Taylor just sat and shook her head.

The two sat and laughed at each other for just a moment. "Stay for dinner?" Gabriella invited. "Troy's right. You know we always make enough to feed an army as it is. There's plenty."

Taylor thought for just another second. "A meal without chasing a three year old and I don't have to cook? Not to mention Chad's always hungry. I think I'll take you up on the offer."

"Good." Gabriella stood from the chair and took Taylor by the hand. "You get to sit by Coach."

Taylor tossed her a questioning look. "Because?"

"I think he needs some reassurance about Zanessa. I gave it my best shot when you guys first got here. Maybe if he hears some of the same theories coming from you he'll believe that _they_ are gonna be ok, and so am I!" she opened her eyes wide and sucked in a breath.

"Jack Bolton is worried about Zanessa?" Taylor practically giggled.

"Yep. And I have no clue how to encourage Luce to … comfort him."

The two women looked at each other and let out a simultaneous, _"EWWWWWW!"_ as they headed back down the stairs.

**ZVZVZVZVZV**


	15. Lessons Learned

**Ah, I know, it's been far too long since we visited with the Bolton family! :) Thanks to cncgrad for this idea. Working-Mom Gabriella is truly me at heart. I love what she and Troy have grown into and the relationship I can imagine them having!**

**As always, I own nothing of these wonderful characters (ok, I claim the kids in this story, they are mine!) or of HSM other than tubs of trinkets, a few autographs (thanks Papa Bear!) and several well-worn DVD's & CD's. Thank you to the actors & actresses who brought these characters to life, and the production crew who created the generation-changing phenomena! I will ALWAYS love it. :D**

**Your reviews, pm's e-mails, FaceBook messages and even Twitter notes are always welcome and appreciated, so I hope you'll let me know what you think. You the readers (and a certain couple, of course) feed my addiction and fuel my obsession.**

**Thanks for reading & KTZLF! -adc**

* * *

Gabriella Bolton walked into her house through the garage door and shook her head. The utility room needed to be completely rearranged. The clothes in the dryer should've been folded by now but weren't. And the empty washing machine assured her that the laundry hadn't been touched.

A few feet farther and she walked into the kitchen where the stack of dirty dishes still filled the sink. The pile of mail on the counter was unopened and the sound of voices in the living room made her want to scream.

The day had not been an easy one for her. The case she was on was straining her every nerve, mentally and physically. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, one single member of her family would've taken pity on her and heard her plea for some housework help that she made before leaving this same house ten hours ago.

"Mama's home!" the five-year-old voice sounded from her place on the carpet. The checkers from the SpongeBob Connect Four game surrounded Gabriella's youngest child. Gabriella smiled at Becca Beth and did her best to ignore the disarray in the family's favorite room.

Her other two children barely acknowledged her except for the typical, nearly selfish request from Jon Jack. "Can somebody get me something to eat?" Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Can I get my shoes off and change clothes first? Aren't you seven years old now? I think you know where the fruit is in the refrigerator. Go get it yourself," her voice took on an edge of a pout attempting to let her kids know that she wasn't in the best of moods.

"Well I wasn't just talking to you, Mom," Jon answered her. He tried to play a sympathetic sort of tone which was completely lost on Gabriella's current attitude.

"Hey, Baby!" Troy smiled at his wife as he came down the stairs in a comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

Gabriella practically grunted at her husband and turned her cheek toward him when he grasped her shoulders gently and bent to give her a kiss.

"Everything ok?" Troy wondered as he left a soft smooch on her skin.

"Court was less than fun today," Gabriella shared with him.

He could tell by the look on her face that she was drained and less than happy. Still he didn't think twice before asking the next question. "Any ideas for dinner?"

Gabriella stood for just a moment as Troy moved farther into their kitchen and began opening the pantry doors. She placed her right hand over her eyes, squeezed her lids shut momentarily and roughly massaged her temples before even turning around in his direction.

"I'll find something after I go change and wash my face," the sharper edge wasn't lost on her husband. Yet instead of continuing the search for a family meal he grabbed a bag of chips and proceeded to sit down at the table to eat his snack.

With a shake of her head Gabriella grasped the bannister and pulled herself up the steps toward her few minutes of sanctuary, her empty bedroom. _No dishes, no laundry, no dinner. No ball practice…for any of them. They've been home for two hours and still I am supposed to come up with dinner? Why me? Did I not say it's been a rough day?_

The thoughts went round and round through her head. She loved her family; she loved her husband. But on evenings like this, she just wanted to stand at the top of the stairs and scream at them. _Maybe that would get their attention. If I stood and yelled…no, then they would just think I've gone crazy and commit me to some mental institution. Well… at least there I wouldn't have to worry about the laundry, or dishes, or dinner._ She stopped just inside her bedroom door and thought about that option. At the moment, it didn't sound like a bad one at all.

She closed the door behind her just as a 'did-not/did-too' argument was starting in the living room. She would _not_ handle that. Troy was right there in the middle of it. That one was up to him.

The dark-haired wife slipped out of her work clothes and followed her husband's lead. She slipped into a comfy cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts, opting to go barefoot to enjoy the feel of the camel-colored carpet beneath her feet. She took a moment to just take a few deep breaths before heading into the bathroom.

Gabriella leaned her head back, trying to ease the tension in her neck. She moved to sit on the so-called 'throne' of the bathroom only to be met with the cold, hard feel of an uncovered rim of porcelain which practically swallowed her backside. "Ahh!" the quiet, yet squealing sigh came from her throat, before she sucked in a breath, puffed out her cheeks and stood back up. At that point she reached toward the toilet paper holder between the commode and bathtub in order to dry the wetness that had met her unsuspecting bottom.

The empty cardboard roll caused her lovely olive skinned face to turn a bright shade of pink. Then with shorts around her ankles she finally lost her battle with something called 'patience'.

"_TROY ALEXANDER BOLTON_!" She bellowed through her small stature. "_BEDROOM, NOW!"_

From the living room three young sets of eyes focused on their father as they all heard their mother loud and clear, prior to the slamming of the toilet seat, and an unnecessary but called-for "Damn It."

Troy looked at his children with wide, concerned eyes.

"Daddy, you're in trouble, not us, right?" Becca Beth questioned.

Troy smiled at his children with a twisted face wondering exactly what he had done…this time. "Yeah I think so, Sweet Pea."

Troy stood from the chair at the computer desk and stepped toward the stairs.

"Maybe you should offer to take her to dinner," their oldest suggested.

"I just hope she doesn't yell at us like that," Jon Jack observed. "Hey, Dad, can I have some of those chips?"

Troy looked at his son and then back at his oldest daughter. "I may be walking into my own murder and he's worried about food?"

Mac shrugged her shoulders with a slight wince at the thought of losing her father. "Good luck," she offered.

**FutureBoltons*Troyella*FutureBoltons**

"Yes, Dear?" Troy tried to ask jokingly as he walked through the bedroom door. He quickly caught sight of his wife standing outside on the balcony with arms obviously crossed across her chest.

Gabriella steadied herself as she heard him close the door and walk in her direction.

"Brie?" Troy spoke a bit more seriously as he came nearer.

"Is it too much to ask…" she began, "…for you to put the seat down in the bathroom so that I don't fall in? I have to sit down to pee, remember? I really thought by now you realized that we have different body parts, you know? You usually seem pretty aware of that…until it comes to the commode and putting the seat down. Seriously, Troy, you lift the seat, point your penis, pee, flush and then put the seat down. Is that really too many things to remember? You can remember complicated basketball plays and dance routines for theater but you can't remember to put the seat down?" Gabriella didn't even look at her husband as she spouted complaint number one.

Troy listened, silently, without protest, although his lips twitched with the urge to grin at her. His level-headed, usually un-irkable wife rarely showed her angry side. When she did, he was usually to blame. And, in numerous instances he purposefully pushed her to that point…because he enjoyed making it up to her. Although this time wasn't on purpose – he was pretty sure a certain seven-year-old had used their bathroom before Gabriella on this particular evening – he felt a makeup session on the horizon.

"I'm sorry," he offered. With the apology he reached out and placed just his fingertips against her shoulder. But instead of relaxing, his wife's shoulders tensed even more. Troy pulled his fingers away before she let out a huff of air and continued.

"And while I'm ranting about the bathroom…how about replacing the roll of toilet paper? Oh wait, I'm sorry, that would be an addition to that list of things to do after putting the seat back down, wouldn't it? Or do you wipe after pee'ing? Really doesn't matter…just, whenever you pull the last square of paper from the roll, it's really simple. You take the cardboard off the holder and put another _full_ roll of toilet paper back on there. We keep the package in the closet, Troy, right next to the toilet. Your arms are even long enough to just reach in there while you're sitting down." She stopped again and took a deep breath.

"Ok," Troy realized this might be more than just a rough day at work rambling. He watched as Gabriella looked over her shoulder at him with no remorse in her eyes. Perhaps he _had_ walked into his own murder scene.

"Shall I continue?" Gabriella turned her face back toward the huge tree in the back yard. "Five of us live here, Troy. Not just me. Do I need to leave a list of things that need to be done to keep this house running at least partially?" She held up her left hand, balled into a fist before pounding it lightly against the railing. Troy could tell she was on the verge of tears. He had rarely seen her _this_ angry.

"Laundry," she hit the barrier once for emphasis, "dishes…and why do _I_ have to know what we're having for dinner? Damn it," she paused with a slight sniffle letting Troy know a few tears had escaped. "Without clean dishes we aren't even having dinner." With the last sentence she turned her body toward Troy. "And you know what? I'm really not even hungry. So _you_ figure out what's for dinner. I don't care what you fix."

She once again crossed her arms over her chest and stood there staring at Troy's chest, an angry snarl on her lips.

"Gabriella…" Troy ran a hand to the back of his neck.

"Did you hear anything that I just said, Troy? Any of it?" She asked before taking a cleansing breath and then just standing there.

"Yeah. _Yes,_ I mean. I heard every word of it. I'm listening, I promise. And I'll try harder, I'm sorry."

Gabriella watched his eyes and noted that he looked straight at her, as he always did. She felt just a twinge of guilt for yelling at him and lecturing him. They've been married for nearly two decades. She tried to remember another time she might have let her miniscule complaints take over.

Meanwhile Troy continued to watch her, not sure of what to say. He breathed steadily as she turned back around and leaned up against the rail. He took a chance and stepped directly behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her while he placed a few simple kisses on the top of her head.

Gabriella still held onto the rail. When he tried to move his kisses down to her neck she shrugged him off.

"I know you're mad. But do you feel any better getting all that off your chest?" he tried to ask sincerely.

She breathed under his hold but still didn't lean back against him. Troy squeezed a little tighter until she turned her cheek toward him, nodded and accepted his kiss.

"I didn't mean to lecture," she said after a moment.

"Yes you did," Troy stated with just a hint of his comedic tone.

"No, I…" she stopped and took a breath. "Ok, I guess I did. It just all builds up…"

"And you benefit more from yelling at me than yelling at the kids," he said matter-of-factly.

Gabriella turned in his hold to face him and looked up into a face that held a slight, ever-so-smug grin. Troy moved his hands to her waist while Gabriella moved her own hands to cover his, nearly pushing them off her body.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scrunched her eyebrows together and pulled her lips back together in an unhappy fashion.

"You get angry, you yell at me - although this is the worst round I think we've had in a while - but once you calm down I get to make it up to you," his grin widened even with her harsh expression.

She shook her head at him and began to wriggle her body trying to get free from his arms. Once he loosened his hands, she stepped away from him. "Is that all you're taking away from this? You didn't hear a word I said, did you? Me getting angry isn't about makeup sex, Troy, it's about trying to get you and the kids to help out around here." Her voice began to pick up strength which led Troy to reach for her again.

"No, Baby, I heard you. I swear I did. Toilet seat down, replace the toilet paper, help with the dishes and the laundry, and dinner." This time he grasped her shoulders and turned her around in order to massage a bit of the tension out of her muscles.

"But what I also hear is that you've had a rough day at work and you need to release some of that tension. And we both know how to do that. It's my favorite way of apologizing…and you seem to relax, and enjoy it, even after all these years."

Gabriella let her muscles relax under his fingers. She did love her husband's touch. Making love with him was still one of her favorite activities that they shared – something just between the two of them. But with her back turned to him she tensed the muscles in her forehead. Yes he had heard her gripes and complaints. Yes, he had even repeated them back to her. But until he proved that he had listened to her, and carried through with her instructions, there would be no making up. Not this time.

**FutureBoltons*Troyella*FutureBoltons**

Troy urged his wife to lie down for a little while once she finally wrapped her arms around his body and they shared an embrace on the balcony for several minutes. He pulled back the comforter on the bed and helped her crawl in.

"Are we good?" He asked as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. When he straightened back up she smiled at him softly and nodded her head. "Still love me?" he asked with a grin, yet feeling a slight need for reassurance. Again she nodded. "Maybe after dinner I can make it up to you." He cocked his eyebrows at her and noted the simple, unamused smile that appeared on Gabriella's face. This time she didn't nod, nor did he see her crossed fingers under the covers that would negate any positive signals he might be receiving from that last wish.

"You rest for a bit. We'll get dinner ready and I'll have one of the munchkins come get you when it's ready. Deal?" Again Troy looked for her reassurance.

She nodded and then smiled genuinely at him. It would be nice to have a little time to herself. She felt another split second of guilt as Troy turned to walk out the door. "Troy?" He noted that she still wasn't using her nickname for him.

"Yeah?" he turned back to look at her lying peacefully in their bed.

"I love you," she smiled and blew him a kiss.

Troy caught the kiss in mid-air and placed it over his heart. "Love you too, Baby."

Once he was out the door Gabriella's mind started turning. _Yes, I love you, Wildcat, but you will have to work for this makeup session. It's time you learn a lesson or two, Montez style._ She smirked to herself as she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

**FutureBoltons*Troyella*FutureBoltons**

The remainder of the night was quiet and rather productive. By the time dinner was prepared – even though it was simply a couple of frozen pizzas – the dishes were out of the sink, the mail had been sorted and the clothes in the dryer had been folded and mostly put away.

"I love you, Mommy," Becca Beth hugged her mother before taking her piece of pizza and heading to the table in the living room to eat.

Jon Jack eyed his mother cautiously as he put two slices of pepperoni and sausage on his plate. "May I have a drink, please?" he requested, earning a look of surprise from Gabriella.

"Nice manners, Jon Boy," Gabriella praised her son. He smiled at her and waited patiently as she poured a glass of juice for both him and Becca.

Maria Lucille stood back with her father waiting another minute until the little ones were settled before moving in to get their food. Troy, Gabriella and Mac sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Gabriella noticed the silent signals going back and forth between her husband and daughter but opted not to say anything. Finally Mac spoke up.

"I'm sorry I haven't been helping with the dishes, Mom. I'll try to do better…I mean, I'll try to remember to do them without you having to tell me," she offered.

Gabriella smiled at Mac and then looked at Troy. He was making her 'no make-up' plan very difficult. "Thank you, Mackey. It would really be a big help if you would. I hate having to tell you to do things over, and over, and _over _again." Mac noticed how Gabriella's eyes pointed more toward Troy as she made the last part of her statement.

Troy noticed nothing, instead scarfing his pizza and looking at the clock announcing just another hour before bed time for the little ones. Then he moved his plate from the table, placed a kiss on his wife's neck, bringing a slight giggle from Gabriella and a groan from their oldest child.

"How am I doing?" Troy asked with another kiss to her earlobe when he came back to take his wife's plate off the table.

"Hmmm," Gabriella sighed contentedly without giving him a real answer. He was honestly doing amazingly well. She cherished the kisses and the whispers in her ear. Still, if he expected makeup sex after his one-night stand of playing Mr. Mom, Troy Bolton had another 'think' coming.

Gabriella sighed again. She had to admit…it was going to be a tough plan to follow through on, and there was a very slight chance that he might be able to change her plan if he really put his mind to it. She watched him walk into the living room and get down on the floor to play with the kids while she remained at the table. He was definitely making this hard to carry through.

**FutureBoltons*Troyella*FutureBoltons**

When bedtime rolled around Troy playfully drug their son up the steps while Gabriella gave Becca a piggy back ride to her room. Both gave their oldest daughter specific instructions to head to her room and be in bed with lights out within the next half hour. Without a complaint, Maria Lucille complied.

The parents spent that half hour reading and singing to their two youngest kids, sharing prayer time and tucking the little ones under their covers. By the time Gabriella finished with Becca and headed into the master bedroom she found Troy behind a closed bathroom door going through his normal, nightly routine.

The tv had already been turned on so the ambient noise gave her a nice cover as she quickly changed into her pj's, pulled the comforter off the bed, grabbed her pillow and headed back out the door. _If he really wants to make it up to me he's gonna have to work for it,_ she decided once more.

It had been ages since Gabriella had fallen asleep on their couch. She was fast to notice the various chip crumbs that her _children_ had left behind on various occasions. _Thank God we don't have a pet at this point,_ she mumbled to herself.

Within five minutes she was nearly settled on the somewhat comfortable piece of furniture. Then, just moments after shutting her eyes, came the sound of small footsteps padding down the stairs.

She lifted her head off the pillow just in time to meet her son's eyes as he came off the last two steps. "Jon Boy? What are you doing down here?"

Jon looked at his mom, his father's blue eyes shining through the near darkness in the room. "I need a snack. I was gonna get a couple pieces of salami," he answered honestly.

Gabriella shook her head. "You really are a bottomless pit, aren't you?" She watched as he grinned and nodded. "Go, but be sure to get a paper towel. Don't wipe that greasy stuff off on your bed, hear me?"

"Uh-huh," was his only response.

She kept her eyes open when she heard the commode flush in the master bathroom. Jon Jack stopped again when he came out of the kitchen and looked at her.

"Hey, Mom?" He leaned over the back of the couch this time to really gaze at his mother. "How come _you're_ down here?"

Gabriella smiled softly at him and listened for any signs of Troy realizing that something was out of sorts in their bedroom. "I'm teaching Daddy a lesson," she answered very simply.

"Oh," Jon seemed to accept her answer.

"_Gabriella?"_ The two on the first floor heard the concerned voice as Troy opened the door of the bedroom and called for his wife.

Jon looked at his mom again, obviously in thought. "What kind of lesson are you teaching him? I thought lessons were for school."

Gabriella neglected to answer Troy as she looked at their son. "You know better than that, there are some lessons you have to learn at home too."

"Yeah, but you and Daddy are grown-ups. Haven't you guys learned all the lessons you need to know already?" Jon asked with a genuine curiosity.

"Apparently not," Gabriella answered sarcastically with only a hint of a smile. "Shouldn't you be going to bed?" she raised her eyebrows with her instructions to the seven-year-old.

Jon shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I thought you gave Dad his lessons in the bedroom when your door is locked," his young voice caused Gabriella to open her eyes wider and sit up farther on her makeshift bed.

Neither of them saw Troy as he descended the stairs, listening to the voices that he had heard vaguely from the top of the staircase.

"What makes you say that?" Gabriella asked a bit nervously.

Jon thought a minute, blinked his long dark eyelashes that mirrored Troy's, and looked directly into his mother's eyes. "Well, that's when I hear you telling him that he's doing good. Like when you say, '_that's so good, Wildcat'_… or you tell him _'that's perfect, Wildcat, don't stop…you're so good'."_

The choked laugh from the stairway alerted mother and son to Troy's presence. Gabriella's mouth dropped open and her eyes popped open to the widest point Jon had ever seen them.

Troy stumbled the rest of the way down the stairs seeing the reflection of Gabriella's embarrassment filling the room. He coughed slightly to cover another laugh and then put on his fatherly voice. "Jon Boy, didn't I put you to bed 15 minutes ago? Go!"

Jon shrugged again and looked at his mom. Her mouth was still agape, eyes wide and shifting back and forth between her husband and son. He took a bite of his salami, turned to look at his dad and then silently headed up the stairs.

When they heard his door shut, Troy let out a pent-up laugh.

"Oh-my-god," Gabriella looked at her husband. "Troy, why are you laughing? That is not funny! If he's heard…and now…he's going to start asking… And if he's heard…his room is down the hall. Mac is right next to us. What if she…" Gabriella finally blinked and looked at Troy's grinning face.

The scowl from earlier in the evening returned to Mrs. Bolton's face. "We are never having sex again with the kids in the house," she declared.

Troy wiped the grin from his face and then tilted his head from side to side as he thought about her words. "Well, at least you didn't say 'never'- period," he decided.

Gabriella threw her menacing look toward her husband and then fell backwards on the couch, pulling the pillowed softness up to cover her face.

"So, I guess our little make-up session is on hold?" Troy asked knowing full-well that he was now pushing her buttons.

Gabriella didn't even inch the covers back to look at him. Instead she pulled them up further and turned her back toward her husband.

"Brie, c'mon now…you know you want to laugh at this whole situation. Well, ok, not the stuff from earlier, that wasn't funny, you were really angry and hurt…and I know that and I'm sorry…again. But what Jon Boy said, all he knows is that I'm apparently doing something in the bedroom that's making you feel good, or at least something that's making you happy with me. Am I right?" Troy waited.

When she didn't respond, he resorted to a similar but different approach. He snuck his hand under the comforter and moved it around until he slid it just above her waist, and let it rest on her stomach.

"Brie?" he started again. "You can't stay under the comforter all night. But I can stay right here on the floor and I'll keep bugging you until you at least look at me. You know I will." He dared to move his hand a little higher on her abdomen earning him a soft smack from her hand.

Troy smiled. Now he was getting somewhere. "Our son has no idea how many lessons you've taught me, Briella," his voice softened and he pushed his body up onto his knees on the floor beside the couch so that he could hover over her covered body. "And a _lot_ of them have been in that very bedroom up there. You can't deny that, can you? We've taught each other."

Troy slid his hand over her hip and back up to her stomach. This time she met his hand with hers and allowed him to link their fingers together. Troy smiled.

"See, it's all about communicating. No, you shouldn't have to tell me, or Mac or Jon or Becca when to put the dishes away, or when to fold the clothes, or when to replace the empty toilet paper roll. But on those things, you gotta know, Jon and I are dense. We're boys, Baby. We try to learn, we really, really do. But things like that don't soak in until you yell from the bathroom after you've fallen into the toilet bowl."

He felt Gabriella squeeze his hand as tight as she could for a moment and then heard a grunt from under the brown and teal striped material.

Troy dared to stretch further and placed a kiss on top of her head then used his free hand to uncover the slightest bit of skin on the ridge of her ear so that he could place another kiss there.

"I swear I will try my best to help out more with the housework and to pay attention to the little things," he whispered into her barely exposed ear. "But if I forget, just remind me, ok?"

To Troy's delight she rolled onto her back and began to uncover her face.

She still wore a pout even when Troy stood, bent over her and placed a kiss on her lips. "It was just getting hot under there," Gabriella complained.

Troy held his hands out toward her, urging her to get up off the couch.

"What?" she asked as if she didn't understand what he wanted.

"It's time to go back upstairs so we can go to bed," he answered.

"I'm sorry, you claim you've learned your lesson, so I'm automatically supposed to play puppy dog and follow you back upstairs and climb into bed with you?" she asked with eyes matching the supposed innocence of their youngest daughter.

Troy's lips twitched. She was playing hard to get. He just bared his softest, soul-loving heart to her and she was going to play hard to get.

"Puppy dog wasn't exactly the game I had in mind…" he pursed his lips together and winked at her with the blue pools that were the door to his heart – and his wife was well aware of that.

"Troy, did you _not_ hear what your son was saying? Did you not hear me? We will _not _be having sex in this house while the kids are here."

Her husband placed his hands on his hips and then pointedly knelt back down beside her in order to see eye to eye with his dark-haired bride.

"We obviously have different opinions on that. I do not believe you can stick to that rule," Troy declared with a shake of his head, raised eyebrows and a sure look on his face.

Gabriella scoffed at his declaration and sat up slightly, propping herself up on her arms. Before she could say anything Troy continued.

"You had your turn to lecture me earlier. Now it's my turn. I told you. I've learned my lesson. Now it's time for you to learn yours. As I see it, we have a few options and I'm willing to help with all of them. You can willingly come upstairs with me now. Or I can join you here on the couch. Or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you - willingly or unwillingly - back to our bedroom. And lastly," he thought for a moment, "you're right. We won't be _having sex_ while the kids are here. But we will make love. Because you apparently need to learn how to be more quiet during that activity, Mrs. Bolton."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open again but this time Troy could see the smile that was fighting to form.

"And until you learn that lesson, we will just have to keep practicing and practicing…over and over…_and over_." Troy pushed her less than forcefully until he was able to wedge his body against hers on their couch. He began to place kisses on her jawbone, cheek and neck until she was practically in tears trying to laugh silently.

When he leaned back to look at her, Gabriella pressed her lips together but smiled a more than content smirk that assured her husband that he had won her over, yet again.

"So are you coming back upstairs willingly to begin these lessons or not?" he asked as he stood up and reached for her once more.

"Carry me?" she requested, making him roll his eyes.

Instead of cradling her as she suspected he would Troy wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, pulled her from the couch and threw her gently over his shoulder.

"_WILDCAT!" _ Gabriella practically screamed and laughed loudly as he carried her up the stairs.

Two doors opened and young eyes watched their father carry their mother to the king sized bed where he dropped her carefully. Her giggling carried out into the hallway making both of their older children roll their eyes.

When Troy came back to the door to close and lock it he looked at Jon and Mac. "Shouldn't you two be asleep?"

Mac looked at him and let out a frustrated breath. "Don't wake up Becca Beth. _I'm_ not puttin' her back to bed."

Troy pointed a finger at his oldest then pushed the door into the frame until it latched. Jon looked at Mac as they both heard the lock turn.

"You don't wanna know what they're doing," Mac pretended to have a clue as the big sister in the family.

"Oh, I know alright," Jon didn't hesitate to answer back.

Mac's eyes widened. "How do you know? What are they doing?" she inquired.

Jon answered with a proof-positive shrug of his shoulders. "They're teaching each other lessons."

**FutureBoltons*Troyella*FutureBoltons**


	16. Oh Baby?

**I own nothing of these wonderful characters or of HSM other than some tubs of trinkets, and several well-worn DVD's & CD's. Thank you to the actors & actresses who brought these characters to life, and the production crew who created this generation-changing phenomena! I will ALWAYS love it.  
**

**Your reviews, pm's, e-mails, & FaceBook messages are always welcome and appreciated, so I hope you'll let me know what you think.  
**

**Thanks for reading & KTZLF! -adc**

* * *

Gabriella lay in bed with the covers pulled up over her chest staring at the ceiling. She heard the gentle breaths of her husband beside her and had to smile when he let out a soft snore and then mumbled something. He was on the verge of sleep.

She turned and looked toward his face. Even in the dark she knew exactly where to move her fingers to swipe at the tiny trickle of drool that escaped from the corner of his mouth. Troy always went to sleep on his stomach; his head turned to face her at least for a few minutes before his entire body twisted onto his left side when his REM sleep began to kick in.

It was more than familiar. Nearly two decades of sleeping together…well, over two decades if you counted the years prior to their marriage. And, her smile widened, she would count those years because without them, they wouldn't be here right now.

Gabriella sucked in a long, somewhat labored breath. The past few months had been a roller coaster for her. It hadn't overly affected her relationship with her husband, or their children, but she knew they would never truly understand. How could they - when she didn't understand it herself?

She looked at the sandy, blond hair on his head. It was about time for another haircut. She looked at the closed eyelids and blinked softly as she pictured those piercing blue eyes underneath. And she looked at the lips that kissed her every night when he was home; and that gave her far more pleasure on numerous nights most weeks, even now, more than twenty years into their relationship.

She shivered at that thought, and smiled again, and then her eyes widened as she thought about the places his lips had been just the previous night, and what that foreplay had lead them into at eleven p.m. on a weeknight. Both had joked about being tired at work today because of their antics in bed the night before.

Gabriella used her fingertip to push his hair across his forehead ever so gently. Being tired at work because her husband felt frisky enough to make passionate love to her? It was worth it…well worth it.

When he moved slightly she pulled her hand away and resumed her position looking up at the ceiling. Over the past several weeks Troy had been more adamant about making love to her; with him initiating that flirting contact – the tickling, the slightest touch of her breast, the kisses that didn't just stop at puckered lips making contact.

As she lay there in the dark contemplating their current sex life, two thoughts formed in her brain. She knew the first thought – Troy was reassuring her of his love and commitment following a depressed round of doubt that had clouded her mind and body – was more than likely his reasoning behind their recent, four-night-a-week love-making. But the second thought was what caused her to speak out to him before he rolled onto his side.

"Troy?"

The body beside her didn't move. Instead a muffled "Hmmmm?" came from those lips she had just been envisioning.

"You haven't … I mean … Have you thought about, um, having a baby?" Gabriella caught herself feeling quite silly asking the question. She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she waited for any hint of a response from him.

Troy's lips smacked together slightly as he reeled in the spittle at the corner of his mouth. "Have three, right?" His sleep-intent mind was less than focused on his wife's words.

"That was the count when we put them to bed tonight, yes, Silly," Gabriella softened her voice with the intention of dropping the conversation.

"Had a vasectomy for a reason." In his barely-awake state of mind Troy answered her question pretty clearly with that response.

And with that response Gabriella sighed, "That you did. And I love you for it." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead before turning her back toward him and adjusting her pillow to find her own sleeping position.

"Love you too," came the words from Troy's mouth before he, too, turned on his side.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

It was barely ten minutes later when Troy's mind began to playback that bedtime conversation. He rolled onto his back and squeezed his eyes together trying to replay his wife's words.

Was she nervous when she had spoken to get his attention? Had she just been to the bathroom or out of bed? She was relaxed beside him now with her own snores beginning to form. But what had she asked? Why had she asked him about having a baby?

Troy's eyes opened and strained through the dark to look at the back of her head, the hair lying in waves down her neck and over her shoulders. It was all he could do not to reach out and stroke her hair; let his hands wander down to the skin on her shoulders that he knew was bare thanks to the tank top she wore to bed. And he was willing to bet he could wake her up if he just spooned her now and slid his hand underneath that tank top…

He sucked in a breath and held it. Those were the thoughts he had been having for nearly a month now, since Gabriella had told him that she was afraid he wasn't interested in her anymore. She had actually asked him if he still found her _attractive_.

Her question had been an eye opener for him. Of course he still found her attractive. In all honesty he wanted to show her each and every night just how attracted he was to her. But the timing of her question had hit during a stressful time for him at work and at a time that - between work and the kids - they both were utterly exhausted. He had verbally reassured her. And he had physically reinforced the attraction as much as his tired body would allow.

Now he lay awake and gave himself a mental pat on the back. With less hectic schedules the past few weeks he had reinforced his attraction to her over, and over, and over, and over again. He raised his chin with pride. She was satisfied, content, and happy – his job, well done.

Then tonight's question ran through his mind again. A baby?

"_Oh-my-god,"_ he whispered. His mouth suddenly went dry and the once-raised chin dipped down as his breaths shallowed.

Troy stayed perfectly still for a few minutes, trying to come to terms with his thoughts.

He remembered mentioning his vasectomy. Once Little Miss Mischievous was born and Gabriella had made sure that he was awake for a month's worth of late night feedings '_snip-snip'_ had entered his vocabulary and Troy had contacted the urologist to schedule the procedure.

But what had the doctor said? '_A vasectomy coupled with a woman being on birth control, or the continued use of a condom was nearly 100% effective. A vasectomy by itself was quite effective for birth control, however it was NOT 100%. Sperm are persistent little boogers. Some of them find their way, especially if you have very healthy sexual appetites.'_

Troy held his breath. He rolled out of the bed gently and walked to the bathroom on tip-toes. He had endured the relatively simple procedure five years ago. It wasn't like they hadn't had sex since then…so why all of a sudden…

He closed the door behind him and flicked the light switch. He looked around the bathroom with purpose, even looking into the trash can by the toilet. He chuckled at himself remembering that was where he had found the empty pregnancy test carton that signaled him to the presence of their second child. Gabriella had surprised him with the positive test stick later that evening and eight months later Jon Jack was born. Tonight, however, there was no sign of a pregnancy test.

He let out the shaky breath and glanced around one more time. Well of course she wouldn't just keep a pregnancy test on hand. They were now in their forties. He went back to the sink and ran a glass of tap water. He sipped slowly as he looked at himself in the mirror.

His reflection shook its head back at him. _"You are forty, Bolton. Good. Lord. If Gabriella is pregnant she's gonna kill you."_ He looked upward and whistled softly. _"Dear God in Heaven, I feel like I'm 17 again, minus the condoms and birth control shots and sneaking around as if our parents didn't know what we were doing. If she's pregnant again, she WILL kill me. That's not what we're talking about here, is it? Does she want another baby? We never…after Becca Beth we didn't even consider having a fourth child." _

Then another thought hit, _"Oh god. Dad won't let me live this down." _ He deepened his voice to mock his father, _"Thought I had a hard enough time getting you to keep it in your pants in high school. Didn't know I had to keep lecturing you about the consequences of sex into your forties."_

Troy felt a cold chill run down his back and shivered as he took another gulp of the water. If this was what Gabriella wanted, then he would support her. Wait, support her? Who was he kidding? If he had done this to Gabriella, and if she wanted to have another baby, then he would _love_ her and the baby both.

A bead of anxious sweat formed under his bangs as he walked back to the bed. He was resolved to stick with that last thought. So he crawled back onto the mattress and situated himself behind his wife before cautiously letting his left hand slide under her thin, tank top and rest comfortingly over her belly button.

In her sleep Gabriella scooted back against him and then let her own hand rest over top of his.

**FUTUREBOLTONS-OHBABY?**


	17. Oh Baby 2

**How do I escape when my home is invaded by five 7-9 year olds? I resort to Troyella land! :D  
KTZLF!**

* * *

Troy dropped the hot waffle onto the plate and shook his hand before lifting his burnt fingers to his mouth to try and soothe the sting. _"Ouch!"_ he griped to no one in particular before turning to see the sleepy eyes of his youngest daughter watching him.

"Daddy?" Becca Beth's tired face looked a little confused as she drug her blanket across the kitchen floor toward the living room.

Troy smiled at her. "Good morning, Baby Girl. You can go back to sleep, you know? It's extra early."

The petite body stopped at the swinging door and turned to look back at her father. "Then why are you awake? Mommy says to let you sleep every morning. Why isn't she up yet?"

Troy sighed. His five-year-old daughter asked a valid question. _Why am I awake? Oh, yeah, I'm trying to figure out how to ask your mother if she wants to have another baby. What would you suggest Becca Beth?_ He rolled his eyes before realizing he still hadn't answered her question. Instead he was apparently having a conversation – in his own mind – with himself.

"I, uh, just felt like making her breakfast this morning. And I thought I'd take it to her in bed, so I had to get up extra early to try and beat her," he explained to their little girl.

"Is Mommy mad at you?" Becca took a step back toward her dad and hugged her stuffed kitty cat a little closer.

Troy drew his lips in tight as he thought about her words. "Now why would you say that, Munchkin? Can't I do something nice for Mommy every now and then?"

Becca shrugged her shoulders and blinked her dark eyelashes at him, reminding Troy that this little girl was Gabriella's daughter, completely. "Sissy says if you cook for Mommy it's cause she won't kiss you anymore and you miss Mommy's kisses."

Troy rolled his eyes. _Added item to the day's agenda…remind Maria Lucille to keep her mouth shut about anything regarding kissing._ He so enjoyed talking to their thirteen year old about even the slightest hint of a sexual subject.

"That is _not_ the only reason I cook for Mommy. If your sister can remember, I also cook when Mommy's not feeling good and just sometimes to make her feel special," Troy crossed his arms over his chest. Why again was he explaining this to a five year old?

"Did Mommy give you kisses last night?" The little girl questioned.

Troy tilted his head to the side thinking back to Gabriella climbing into bed with him after reading and saying prayers with Jon Jack. Yes, she had immediately kissed him and slid her hands across his chest…and the night before he had responded with many, many more kisses all over her body…

His eyebrows raised at the memory and his lip twitched then raised slightly on the right side as his mind wandered.

"Daddy?"

Troy blinked and looked back at his youngest child. "Yes she kissed me last night, and the night before that, and the night before that," he answered stubbornly.

"Is she sick?" Becca yawned and reached up with her fisted hand to rub at her sleepy eyes.

"Noooo…" Troy held the word out and then squinted a little as he thought. _No morning sickness. With all three she woke me up with morning sickness. She couldn't help it. She tried to be so quiet but it always made her cry. Weeks and weeks of morning sickness…but nothing recently._

He snapped his fingers in the air and smiled at Little Miss Mischievous. "Thank – You – Becca Beth!"

Troy turned back and poured a light dousing of syrup over the waffle on the plate and then put it and the cup of coffee on the tray to carry it upstairs to his wife.

"Daddy?" the youngster pouted as her father leaned his back against the kitchen door to push it open. "I wanna waffle too," she poked her bottom lip out and Troy shook his head.

He pointed his chin toward the living room. "Go lie down on the couch and try to go back to sleep. After I take this to Mommy I will get you a waffle."

Becca Beth huffed and pulled her stuffed animal up to cover her mouth. "No you won't."

Troy rolled his eyes in frustration. "Yes, I will. Becca Beth, it's 5:30 in the morning. Will you please just go lie down on the couch and try to go back to sleep. I promise you I will fix you a waffle in just a little while."

"You're gonna crawl back in bed with Mommy and go back to sleep. I'm not gonna get a waffle."

Troy cradled the tray in one arm as he placed his other hand over his eyes. "Do not cry about this little girl. It is way too early to argue about this and way too early for you to be awake anyway!" He gripped his lengthened hair to try and curb his frustration.

_This would be why I got snipped and why neither of us wanted a fourth child. God, I love my wife, but I'm not sure I can go through this again. Does she really want another baby?_ He mumbled as he looked at the child in front of him.

She sniffled slightly, willing the tears to form in her eyes.

"Don't." Troy ordered his daughter somewhat sternly at the early morning hour. "Don't you put on your Sharpay show right now or you will find yourself back in your bedroom and not getting _anything_ for breakfast."

Becca stood quietly and blinked back the tears. She had seen the results of several _Sharpay_ shows, aka – temper tantrums, and when her father was in charge they never ended in her favor.

To Troy's surprise his daughter actually listened to him, turned off her tears and lowered her chin.

"In a few minutes will you make me a waffle?" she asked, still with determination in her voice.

"Poof! You're a waffle," Troy tried to joke.

She looked up at him with innocent eyes and followed her father into the living room without smiling or laughing.

"Yes, in a little bit, I said I will make a waffle for you. For now, lie down on the couch, I'll cover you up and then I need to take Mommy her breakfast before the alarm wakes her up," he explained again.

"Why can't she eat in the kitchen?" Their most inquisitive child questioned.

"You're going to Stanford, aren't you?" Troy posed his question after a loud sigh and a shake of his head.

Becca looked at him from her spot on their couch, "Where's Stamford?"

Troy sucked in a breath, "I have a new respect for your Mimi Maria right now." He admitted, completely confusing his daughter.

"How come?" Becca continued her interrogation.

"Because if your mother was anything like you are at this age…God bless her heart…no wonder Mimi was happy to get her married and out of the house!"

Becca creased her eyebrows together and pointed her brown eyes toward her father. "Daddy, Mimi says I can't learn if I don't ask questions."

Troy tucked the blanket under her chin and shook his head. "I should've known. So this is her fault? I thought your grandmother loved me." He breathed out and placed a loving kiss on Becca's forehead. "Well of course she loves me. She gets to send you back home…to me."

He turned to pick up the tray that he had sat down on the coffee table. "I love you Becca Beth, you know that, right?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"If you will stay here for just ten or fifteen minutes I'll be back to make a waffle for you and one for me. I just need to wake Mommy up and talk to her about something for a minute, ok?"

"Uh-huh," she answered again, followed by another yawn. "I'm tired."

Troy shook his head, "Of course you are."

From the middle of the staircase the 40 year old version of Becca Beth turned to go back to her bedroom. The quiet commotion between father and daughter had been enough to wake Gabriella, especially when she looked at the clock and found Troy missing from their bed.

And now she was more curious than their youngest child. Why was Troy bringing her breakfast in bed and what did he want to talk to her about? What if it was the _baby_ topic? Could her body go through another pregnancy? Did she want to? Her heart beat sped up at the thought. It rippled at the memories of Troy holding and singing to each of their three children.

She laughed quietly as she climbed back into their bed to wait for him, contemplating that thought of another child in their house. Another child for Mimi Maria and Grammy Lucille and Papa Jack to love…and another to put Troy through endless questioning.

Gabriella closed her eyes as she heard his footsteps coming down the hall. And as he sat the tray gently on the bedside table and sat himself down beside her on the bed she couldn't help but smile. "I love you," she stated before he could even bend to kiss her.

"And I love you," he reciprocated and found her lips in the quiet morning darkness. "You said something last night," Troy hesitantly pulled away from the kiss, "and if that's what you want…I do too."

**FBOHBABY2FB**


	18. Eye To Eye aka Oh Baby 3

"_You said something last night," Troy hesitantly pulled away from the kiss, "and if that's what you want…I do too."_

Gabriella rolled to her back and reopened her eyes to look at her husband. She tilted her head sideways and tried to let her vision adjust to his face looking down at her. The first thing she noticed was that he wasn't looking her in the eyes.

"Nice try, Wildcat," she spoke softly but the words brought his gaze to meet hers. "I think I know you just a little better than that. You don't make me breakfast in bed and come in here trying to sweet talk me and _not_ give me the eye to eye treatment. You taught me that before we went to college, remember?" Gabriella reached up to run her thumb across his cheek as Troy leaned his right arm across her body for support.

He smiled, remembering a conversation they had had after high school graduation, in particular, and a few other conversations before that when one of them wouldn't look into the other's eyes.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

"_I'll just take some classes at U of A and go to Stanford when I'm ready," Gabriella told him as they sat in her bedroom following an impromptu picnic. _

She had practically refused to look him in the eye – she claimed it was because she couldn't make up her mind about her college choices. Troy had told her she had to attend Stanford, because he knew her decision was already made.

And after retrieving her from that school to make sure she attended her own high school graduation he could tell she was much more sure of herself and the choice she had made.

That had made Troy nervous about his decision to follow her to a California school. Then, following a conversation that he overheard between Gabriella and Taylor regarding upcoming school schedules and workload, he attempted to put a damper on their finally budding relationship.

"_I've been talking with the coach at Berkeley. He, um, wants me to come out and start doing some summer workouts with them to prep for the season. So, I probably won't have a lot of time for…dates…you know…and stuff. I know you've got a lot on your plate and you've probably got other guys there at Stanford knocking on your door…so, yeah." He breathed out and turned to walk away from her without any other attempt at an explanation._

"_What are you trying to tell me, Troy?" Gabriella stared at a spot between his shoulder blades. "Are you breaking up with me? After coming to Stanford to get me and telling everyone that I 'inspire your heart'…that's it? Suddenly it's all about basketball again?"_

_Troy stood statue-still, biting on his lip but refusing to let her see the hurt in his heart. That was, until she gave him a directive that he knew he couldn't follow._

"_If that's what this is about, Wildcat," she spoke through a tear-strained voice, "then you're gonna have to turn around and tell me eye to eye. I won't believe it unless you can look me in the eye and tell me we're done."_

_She stood firm as he turned around and took a breath. The air was heavy around both of them as Troy fought with himself, and the ideas of what was best for both of them. Gabriella noted that his eyes were first closed when he faced her again. And then he looked toward his feet, then the ground between them, and then somewhere over her shoulder._

"_Wildcat?"_

_He closed his eyes again and shook his head. Then he opened them and looked into her tear-filled, piercing brown irises. "I can't," he forced from his mouth._

"_Can't what?" she wasn't sure where his words were turning after his little speech._

"_I can't lie to your eyes. I can't look into your eyes and lie to you. That's the hold you have over me Gabriella. I just can't do it. You mean too much to me."_

Her heart had melted at his words, leading her to admit the same thing to him. And from that point forward both had made a point to 'call the other out' if the eye-to-eye approach wasn't happening.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

"So?" Gabriella questioned. "I said several things last night, I'm sure. Hopefully I wasn't talking in my sleep…although I really was enjoying my dream about Zac Alexander…"

Troy sat up straighter on the bed and smacked her covered thigh. "Hey," his blue eyes matched her brown ones immediately. "You are _not_ allowed to have dreams about _him_. You're supposed to be dreaming about _me_!" he nearly pouted.

"So, what did I say that you're claiming to want, but I'm pretty sure you're lying about that part?" she held his eye, dipped her chin and waited.

Troy pressed his lips together, swallowed the saliva that had gathered at the back of his dry throat and steeled himself for the possibility of where this conversation was going.

"You asked me if I wanted to have another baby. I'm just saying," his eyes flicked away from hers and then back again, and then down at her hands that he reached over to grasp. "If you want another baby…if you are pregnant…"

"Whoa…whoa, _WHOA_ there!" Gabriella interrupted and then dropped her own eyes almost as quickly as she dropped his hand from hers. "I asked if you had _thought_ about having another baby."

"Ok," Troy reached again for her hand, "ok, but still, if that's what you want then it's what I want." He reached to her abdomen and gently pressed his hand there.

"Troy," she covered his hand with her own. "I think we're coming at this from two different directions…" her eyes narrowed with eyebrows creasing in concentration.

He nodded, closed his eyes and then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

She sighed, smiled at him and shook her head. "No. Not that I'm aware of. Not yet, at least."

"We haven't been taking any precautions lately," Troy supplied the obvious, and then added, "I looked through the trash can in the bathroom for an E.P.T. box." He smiled at her shyly.

"Did you _want_ to find one in there and spoil the surprise again?" she joked – or at least she tried to make it sound like a joke.

He let a breath escape from his lungs as he adjusted himself into a sitting position, took both her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. For a few seconds neither of them said a word. Troy felt his wife suck in a breath and hold it. He noted that her grip tightened on his hands and her face relaxed as they each stared into the windows of their souls.

Gabriella finally swallowed slightly and licked her lips as she began to breathe again. "You kill me when you do that, you know?"

"What?" Troy shook his head but kept his blue lenses focused directly onto her corneas.

"You just…when you…" she blinked several times and widened her eyes as her face gave way to a somewhat serious look. "You take my breath away, Troy," she continued in her whispering voice. "Just by looking in my eyes; being truthful with me; you don't even have to say a word," she somewhat stumbled.

His eyes danced as the smile formed on his lips. "Good," he replied to her heartfelt reaction. "Then I've still got it!"

He tried to pull her hand up to gently kiss the back of her knuckles until she pulled it away and smacked his shoulder. "Well I'd better be the only one you're using _it_ on… whatever _it_ is!" she exclaimed and attempted to get out of the bed.

"Hey," Troy's voiced pulled back into a less joking mode. He grabbed her waist and held her body in order to press a kiss to her lips. "Since the night we first sang together it's been you, and you know that. The minute you finally looked at me on that stage… I didn't want to see anyone else's eyes looking into mine. _It_…me…" he pulled her hands against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm all yours Gabriella Montez Bolton. Don't you ever forget it."

The couple spent another few minutes smiling at each other and laughing as Troy began to kiss her neck and Gabriella returned his lip-nibbling with a few jabs to his ticklish underarms. And, as most of their tickle-fights usually ended, she practically melted when his lips returned to hers for a more than welcome 'good morning' kiss.

It was the slight creaking of their bedroom door that caused them to reluctantly pull apart.

"Can I get my waffle yet?" the little voice successfully interrupted the romance on the bed.

Brown eyes rolled as blue ones glared before their voices sounded in unison, "Becca Beth."

Troy looked between his daughter standing next to their bed and her mother who was pressing her lips together, savoring the last lingering taste of their kiss. He took a cleansing breath before addressing the subject of Little Miss Mischievous' intrusion.

"Give us five more minutes Bec and I'll be down to make your waffle, ok?" he tried to make his order sound like a request.

"But," the little girl pouted.

"No 'buts' about this. I said five more minutes and I'll be down there. Go, now, or you don't get a waffle." His voice gained more force.

"BB," Gabriella interrupted, "Don't make Daddy yell. Do what he says and maybe he'll put chocolate chips in your waffle," she haggled.

"Will you?" Becca looked toward her father.

"What's the magic word?" Troy requested.

"Ab-wah-ta-dab-wa!" Becca grinned, making Troy throw back his head with a shake of it as Gabriella laughed.

He pointed toward the door and Becca moved in that direction, leaving her parents alone yet again.

"So tell me again where this conversation started?" Gabriella reached for her coffee on the tray and took a sip as she watched her husband.

"What made you wonder if I've been thinking about another baby?" Troy grabbed the plate and began cutting up the waffle he had prepared for her.

"Just, well, the past few weeks…last couple of months, maybe…we've been, well, you know," her face blushed ever so slightly as Troy raised the fork to her mouth to feed her a bite of breakfast.

He waited for her to chew and stayed quiet until she was able to continue.

"We've been making love a lot – I'm not complaining! Believe me, I'm not complaining! But I guess I just started wondering if you maybe…had a purpose for it, besides…I dunno… besides just enjoying the sex."

She watched closely as he took the cup from her hand and sipped the hot coffee before putting it back on the tray. Troy fed her another bite of the waffle and then replaced the plate on the tray. He leaned back on the bed and thought for just a moment while she watched him.

"I enjoy seeing you enjoying yourself. I love to see you smile. I love to know that I can put _that_ look on your face when your entire body gives in to me. I'd be lying if I said that some little part of me didn't want you to be pregnant again with our baby…another baby that we made together."

He loved the blush that appeared once more on her face knowing he had sent her senses reeling just by flattering her.

"But I also know that after _that_ little munchkin came into our lives," he pointed toward the door, "_we_ decided that our family was complete. She's our bonus package. Just when we thought we were perfect, with two kids under our belts, she came along and proved us wrong. But once we brought her home we knew that was it." He worked to explain.

"But what if…" Gabriella began a bit pleadingly.

"I took a pretty extreme measure – granted, I _know_ it's considered minor surgery and all but it was a major decision for me, at least – to try and make sure that we are the 'Bolton Party of Five', not six."

Gabriella nodded at his words but her chin dropped the slightest inch giving way to her bit of disappointment.

"I'm not out to beat the vasectomy. I am making love to you as often as I can because … well, just because we can actually. I really don't give a damn what the statistics say or what Chad and Taylor do, or anybody else. I just know that I love you and being with you makes me feel so, so good…"

Troy took a moment to run his fingers through her hair, his thumb across her cheek and then touched her lips and sucked in a long breath when she lightly kissed the tips of his fingers. "You asked me a while back if I'm still _attracted_ to you? God, Gabriella, you don't know how _much_ I am attracted to you. That's why I'll make love to you every opportunity you'll give me. Not for another baby, but just because you are who you are… and you're mine."

He smiled, leaned forward and kissed her lips then ran his left hand slowly through his hair. "Don't say it," he spoke of the smile on her face – content yet longing to tease him. "You love it when I'm all mushy and romantic and corny."

She couldn't help but chuckle at his boyish grin.

"But what happens, if by chance, we do beat out the surgery? What happens if some of your little guys escape and I do get pregnant again? It is possible, you know." She argued only slightly.

"I think the bigger question here is whether or not you _want_ that to happen." Troy countered. "It would take a _lot_ of talking and convincing on your part…but my surgery can be undone. That doesn't mean, for sure, that we would get pregnant, but if you want to try for another baby then that would give us a better shot."

Gabriella pulled her thumb and index finger up to her lips and began to bite on her thumbnail as she considered what her husband was saying.

"_DADDYYYYYYYYY…."_ Their youngest's voice came through the silence loud and clear, leaving them both somewhat frustrated and unsatisfied.

Troy huffed slightly and pushed himself up off the bed. Gabriella continued to sit in thought although she watched him closely.

"Just remember that _she_ is five. We are _forty_ and she gets the best of us more times than I'm willing to admit."

"_DAAAADDDYYYY!" _ the little voice sounded louder and closer to their bedroom door.

Troy raised his eyebrows as he stared toward his wife. Gabriella smiled, yet kept her thumbnail gently nestled against her top teeth as if still considering their discussion.

"I love making love to you too," she finally offered as they heard the approaching footsteps.

Troy leaned against the door to keep Becca out of the room, giving his wife just another moment to think. When she didn't answer after a second he turned to intercept the little girl who was turning the knob from the other side.

And as the miniature version of Gabriella Montez Bolton squeezed her way through the crack of the open door, Troy picked her up and placed a kiss on her cheek, then opened the door wider in order to leave.

Gabriella watched the familiar scene unfold and felt the deepest love for her husband move through her entire body.

"Troy…" she beckoned with her voice and waited for him to turn around to meet her eye to eye. When he did she placed a hand over her heart and pressed her lips together before giving him her heartfelt decision. "I wanna stick with the Bolton Party of Five. If somehow we are blessed with more then we'll handle it together, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Troy carried Becca Beth back toward the bed in order to share a kiss with his wife.

"Ewwwwww," the little girl complained.

Gabriella twisted her lips into a cunning smirk as she and Troy shared another breathtaking stare. "I'll meet you back here later?" she whispered breathlessly while their daughter squirmed aimlessly in her father's grasp.

Troy cocked his eyebrows and gave his wife another kiss on the lips. "Every opportunity you give me, Baby. Don't forget, you're mine – you and our three kids – all mine."

**FB-EYETOEYE-FB**

**These last three chapters have been like getting back on a bike after an accident for me. I love the ride, but I'm nervous, scared and the painful memories are still there. **

**But we need to focus on the positive, the happy and the faith, right? Troyella's not going away. Not as long as there are DVD's and Disney Channel movie marathons! :D And I'm still not giving up on the Zanessa love & faith either. Even if both live on in just our hearts right now. They stand for more - always have, always will! **

**KTZLF, my friends, KTZLF!  
-adc  
**


	19. Chek Yes or No

**A/N: Yes, I know a word is misspelled in the title of this chapter. :) I hope you'll allow it, read anyway, and you'll understand (I think) by the end of the chapter. ;)  
**

**As always, I thank you and appreciate all of your reviews, pm's, emails and notes on FB and even Twitter mentions! Readers (along with a certain couple) feed my addiction and fuel my obsession! I can't help it, I still KTZLF. :)**

**Last but not least, I own nothing of HSM, the characters, or the amazing team who brought this generation-changing phenomena to life!**

**KTZLF! -adc**

* * *

"This is _not_ what we signed on for Troy. Think about it, why would I agree to something that overlaps the kids' school schedules and pulls either of us out of work - for what? Huh? I can't afford to miss work for practices, Troy. I am telling you, somebody lied somewhere along the way and right now…I won't even say who I'm pissed at, but I am."

Troy stood somewhat quietly while his wife's tirade played out in the middle of their kitchen. He hadn't been able to get a word in edge-wise. He had wanted to, but everything she had said had been true and he understood why she was upset. And, he knew it had been building to a blowup point for a while. The problem was, he didn't have a fix for it this time.

Gabriella turned with her final line and flung open the swinging door between the kitchen and living rooms so hard that it smacked the wall behind it. She practically jumped through the opening and headed toward the stairs. She hated being angry. She hated thinking that something that Troy had done was what was making her so furious that the tears were welling in her eyes. She grabbed the bannister and pulled herself onto the stairs as she tried to get to her safe place before letting the tears fall.

As the upstairs door slammed, Jon Jack stood back in the corner of the kitchen by the refrigerator with bottom lip quivering but afraid to say anything. He knew his parents argued. But at eight years old he knew that, most of the time, his dad or mom would crack a joke or have some sort of soothing words to make the argument end happily. Or, they saved the argument for the bedroom where their kids wouldn't witness the heated discussion.

Not so this time. Troy and Gabriella's only son had witnessed his mom's anger. He had hidden behind the refrigerator door as the conversation turned to raised voices and then finally into his mother vocalizing a few words that she never used in front of her three children.

Jon watched his dad turn to the dishwasher to unload the clean plates and bowls. Troy didn't even acknowledge Jon's presence. Jon was scared to ask a question. So he quietly closed the fridge door and crept back to his bedroom.

In the next hour homework was done, a little tv was watched by the kids, and just in time for bed, Gabriella resurfaced in the living room with a calm voice telling Jon it was time to head back to his room for reading and bedtime prayers. Jon noticed she said nothing to Troy. But within that silence Troy put down the book he was reading and took Becca Beth to her room for the nightly routine.

Jon followed his mother's directions to a 't' that evening. He changed into his p.j.'s, pulled out his reading chart and pencil to write down the title of the book; and sat still on the bed as Gabriella came in and crawled up to sit on the mattress beside him.

"You ok, Bud?" she asked with a hint of softness.

"Yes, Ma'am," her son answered.

Gabriella scrunched her eyebrows together as she looked at him and smiled. "Good manners, Jon Boy," she relaxed slightly. "Did you learn that from Mrs. Sears?"

Jon thought quietly. "No, I learned it last year from Mrs. Harrison. It was part of one of our lessons about respect."

"Ah," Gabriella responded. "Respect is a good thing. We all need to remember to respect each other…even right here in our family," she added under her breath.

Jon Jack looked up at his mom with questioning eyes. "Ok," he practically whispered.

Even in the residual tension from her anger, Gabriella could tell that something just wasn't on track with her son. "Are you feeling ok, Jon?" She asked, wanting a straightforward answer.

"Uh-huh," he fudged this time, more like himself.

"Ok, then let's read. What chapter of _Star__Wars_ were we on last night?" Jon leaned his arm on his mother's thigh and helped find the page where they had left off. "Oh, yeah," Gabriella remembered, "The Death Star had just destroyed Alderaan and the Millennium Falcon was stuck in a tractor beam, right?"

Jon nodded his head against his mother's arm and picked up the toy light saber on his bed. Both smiled as he swung it around the air just a little as Gabriella began to read. _That__'__s__more__like__him._ Gabriella thought and continued with the book.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

Jon lay in bed and listened to see if there would be any more loud voices between his mother and father. He was pretty sure his mom had gone into the bedroom. He snuck back down the stairs to make sure she wasn't on the computer in the living room. Troy also wasn't there. So the little one then went to the hallway bathroom and listened carefully just outside his parent's bedroom door to make sure they were both in their room.

After that he spent another ten minutes playing quietly in his bed just to make sure neither of the adults were coming out of the room attached to the balcony. That's when he decided to make another move.

"Sissy?" Jon poked his head just inside the partially open door of his big sister's bedroom.

"Yeah?" Mac looked up from her spot on the bedroom floor where she was reading and listening to music. She pulled one of the tiny speakers out of her ear in order to understand what her brother was saying.

Jon stepped inside the door and kept his voice quiet. "Have you ever seen Mommy and Daddy fight?"

Mac gave him a weird look and shrugged her shoulders. "Well sure. They argue a lot. It's not really arguing, just picking at each other. It's no big deal."

Jon moved a little closer to the 13 year old. "But usually they quit and Daddy gives Mom a kiss and they go on, or something. Tonight Mommy was yelling and Daddy looked sad. She slammed the door and went to the bedroom and now they are still not talking. I'm scared."

Maria Lucille looked at her little brother a bit confused. "Why are you scared?" she asked and then noticed the tears in his blue eyes. She pulled herself up onto the bottom bunk of her bed and patted the mattress beside her until Jon came over and sat down. She pulled the other piece of the headphones from her opposite ear and dropped her iPod onto the table beside her bed in order to give him her full attention.

"My friend Jake said his Mom and Dad argued and then his dad moved out of their house. And now his dad doesn't live with them. He called it some word…" Jon tried to think.

"Divorce?" Mac supplied and saw her brother nod his head.

"Yeah, that's it," he agreed sadly. "I don't want Mom and Dad to divorce. I want them both to live with us."

Mac rolled her eyes even though she was trying to take Jon seriously. "They aren't gonna get a divorce," the teenager tried to reassure the youngster. "So they argue. Everybody does, right? I've seen them yell at each other before and then they just end up in the bedroom making noise and by the morning everything is fine."

"I'm still scared," Jon fidgeted with something on Maria's bedspread. "Dad yells at us when we're bad. Mom doesn't yell a lot, 'specially not at Daddy."

Maria huffed slightly but put an arm around her little brother and hugged him. "Watch, they'll be fine in the morning, I bet. They're both in their room together just like normal. It'll be fine in the morning."

She leaned her head over onto his and just sat with him for another moment.

"Do you think they still love each other?" Jon asked sincerely.

"Yeah, of course they do. That's silly." Mac lifted her head up. "Now go back to your room. You know Mom will be real mad if she comes out of her room and you aren't in bed. You don't want that do you?"

Jon shook his head. He stood up and walked toward the bedroom door but Mac could tell his little mind was still going in circles.

"Can I have some paper and a pen?" Jon requested.

Maria looked at him as she resumed her position on the floor, replacing the ear-buds that had music blaring through them. "For what?" she asked, now a bit annoyed.

Jon Jack scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had picked up from their father. "Cause I need to write something," he supplied without a real explanation.

"Fine," Maria Lucille pulled a spiral notebook from her backpack and slid it toward him. "Don't use all the paper drawing Yoda and Star Wars ships. I need that for school." Her phone then buzzed on the floor beside her making her quickly grab a pen to throw to her brother to get him out the door. "There, now go," she ordered.

"Thank you," Jon said as he picked up the items and walked out, pulling the door closed behind him. The little boy took another few steps over to his parents' bedroom door and put his ear against it.

"_Brie,__Baby__…" _Troy's voice sounded somewhat strained.

"_I__said,__ '__no__'__,__Troy.__Not__tonight.__Just__go__to__sleep.__"_

Jon's chin dropped down to his chest as he listened to his mother's tone. He had heard it before, when she was disappointed with him or his sisters. He wondered now, if Gabriella was disappointed with Troy, did she really still love him?

Jon tiptoed back to his room. He had a plan to find out the answer to that question. It would start with the note that Abigail had passed to him in class last week. All he had to do was copy that note twice and then hide them where his mom and dad would find them tomorrow morning.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

The morning routine had been interesting; both Troy and Gabriella were curious about their kids' behaviors but neither questioned it. Instead of groaning and complaining, Jon Jack had rolled out of bed on the second instruction from his father. Mac had gone about her process with the addition of a polite, "Mom, can I toast a bagel for you?" offer.

And when Little Miss Mischievous had balked at the stretch pants that Gabriella chose for her, the two older children held their breaths before Troy calmly offered to find something different for their youngest child…and Gabriella had hesitantly, simply accepted his offer.

Gabriella took those few additional minutes as a chance to get into the shower before Troy, just a little earlier than normal. Jon especially watched his mother closely as she raised her chin and patted Becca Beth on the top of her head.

"I'm gonna go get dressed then," she informed her family. She raised her hand for a hi-five gesture from Mac. "Have a good day Mackey. I'll pick you up after basketball practice as normal, right?"

"Yeah," Mac responded. "Then am I going to softball conditioning?"

Gabriella's body stiffened at the simple question. Troy's body went limp knowing that this was part of the equation that had angered his wife the previous night.

"Yes." Gabriella's stern gaze pointed at no one in particular. "But you may be late. I'm not breaking any speed limits to get you there. And _your __FATHER _will pick you up. I sure hope the coach doesn't think you can stay till nine o'clock. You can plan on working on your homework between the two practices." She informed all who would listen.

"Practice is over at eight or a little after. We'll be home between nine and nine-thirty." Troy repeated a point that obviously irked his wife.

Gabriella ran her fingertips over her forehead without saying another word. She turned and walked past her husband, refusing to even touch his outstretched hand. The action made Mac look at her brother, her eyes now seeing what he had witnessed the night before.

Jon pressed his lips together and blinked as he began to put on the clothes that his mother had chosen for him.

When they heard the water turn on in the shower Mac turned toward her father who was catching up on chatroom conversations on the internet. "Everything ok, Dad?" she asked shyly.

"What?" Troy responded only halfway before taking his eyes off the computer screen. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's fine. Mom and I just aren't seeing eye to eye right now."

"Oh," Mac left her answer at that. "Jon Boy, I need my notebook and pen, please?" she requested.

Jon jumped at the question and went to his room to retrieve his sister's stuff.

"What were you doing with Sissy's pen and paper?" Troy asked when the little boy came back downstairs.

"I needed to write a note," Jon tried to answer cryptically.

"What kind of note?" Troy asked. He looked pointedly at his son, waiting for the answer. "Anything I need to know about?"

Jon glanced at his older sister and then back at his dad. "No."

Troy shook his head. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Maria Lucille looked back and forth between Jon and their father. "Just worry about Mom," she figured her directions were falling on deaf ears. "Jon's just trying to help."

Troy sat for another second letting the words sink in as his oldest daughter picked up her school stuff and walked out the door to wait on the bus.

He looked at Jon and then at Becca, sat up a bit straighter and creased his eyebrows together. "What's that supposed to mean?"

**FBFBFBFBFB**

Gabriella came down the steps just in time to give her two youngest children their kisses before Troy walked them to the bus stop - still in his pajamas as he waited for Gabriella to fully finish her morning routine. She moved around in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich to take for lunch and checking to make sure that her debit card and checkbook were back in her purse.

As Troy walked back into the house he caught sight of her looking at a piece of paper that had been ripped out of notebook. He went to his wife and took a chance, walking behind her and placing his hands on her hips. When she didn't completely reject him he moved his hands on around her waist and then peeked over her shoulder at the paper.

"What's that?" he asked with a curious tone.

Gabriella turned her face slightly to get just a glimpse of her husband's. She smiled tightly and blinked before her slight sniffle caught Troy's ear. "Well gee," Gabriella tried to laugh through the touch of emotions that had caught her off guard, "if you don't know, then who wrote this note?"

Troy pulled back and let a sideways grin form with his lips. He tilted his head forward and brushed the tip of his nose and his lips through Gabriella's still-slightly-damp hair. "What are you talking about?" he asked softly and watched as she held the paper a little tighter in order for him to see the words on it.

"Gabrella,  
I lov you do you lov me?  
Chek Yes _ or No _  
Lov,  
Troy"

Troy read the words out loud over his wife's shoulder and tightened his hold around her. "I know it's hard to believe, but I didn't write that," he hugged her close and bent down to place a soft kiss on her earlobe after saying the words.

She closed her eyes and looked back at the words. "Then who do you suppose wrote them? If there's a Troy imposter in this house, I think I need to know about him." She began to squirm a bit to get out of Troy's hold.

Troy thought back to the conversation that he had only halfway heard just a little while earlier. "If there's a Troy imposter in this house, I think he's eight years old and looks a little bit like me." He smiled and finally relinquished his hug. " I think he may have overheard us arguing in the kitchen last night."

Gabriella stepped away from him, keeping hold of the note and keeping her back turned toward Troy. She swallowed lightly as she looked at the words written simply in elementary handwriting on the paper. She ignored Troy's words as best as she could as they roared through her mind and then pointed at a couple of $20 dollar bills lying on the counter. "There's the money I got for you from the A.T.M. yesterday, by the way."

Troy's shoulders slumped a bit and the grin moved back into a neutral gaze as he reached down to pick up the money. He turned toward the desk where his wallet was sitting and picked up the dark brown leather to put the bills away. When he unfolded the money holder a similar piece of paper slid out and fell to the floor.

Gabriella turned to watch him with a touch of sadness. When he bent to grab the paper she pulled her eyebrows into a curious look and took a few steps toward Troy. "Now, what's that?" she asked.

Troy turned around and smiled at her. "I think my imposter was trying to play matchmaker," he spoke as he looked at very similar writing and words on his lined page.

"Or perhaps it's mediator," Gabriella said and couldn't help but lean her head against Troy's shoulder.

"Deer Troy," his note began.

"I lov you. Do you lov me?  
Chek Yes _ or No _.  
Lov,  
Gabrella"

"He saw me yelling, didn't he?" Gabriella leaned her forehead against Troy's shoulder and grasped onto the back of his t-shirt to hold herself steady as a few tears leaked from her eyes.

"Probably," Troy bent down and kissed the top of her head before pulling her on around his body in order to get an actual hug from his wife.

After a silent moment he used one hand to tilt her face up where he could see it and actually look at her. "Look, I know there's been more to this softball stuff for Maria Lucille than we bargained for. You're _right_. I thought by now that tournaments would be over, too, and we'd be back to just a weekend workout. And basketball wasn't in the picture…she wasn't gonna play basketball this season. That was a surprise but _both__of__us_ agreed that it was ok for her."

Gabriella dipped her head and nodded. She didn't want to say the words, but he was right. "I know," she sighed unhappily.

"And _I_ know that we can't leave work early or take extra time off just to get her to practices, and we can't ignore Jon & Becca's schedules either. It's just that we've made this commitment – Mac, me _and_ you. We discussed this team and knew that it was a year-long commitment. We just didn't know everything that was involved. It's our first time with them, or any team like this. You know I'm not doing this to make you mad. You've gotta know that." Troy explained calmly yet pleadingly.

"I know, I _know_," Gabriella responded with a slight whine. "It's just overwhelming sometimes trying to keep our schedules straight. I'm afraid I'm going to forget something or someone." She paused for a second and then looked up at Troy's concerned face. Gabriella rested her chin on his chest and took a deep breath as he held her. "Forgetting stuff and skipping appointments…that's just not me. I've always been overly organized. Now sometimes I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say 'Forget It All!'" she pouted.

"And sometimes it's ok to do that!" he smiled at her and raised his eyebrows as she poked her bottom lip out in his direction. "And you cannot compare yourself to Taylor anymore," Troy added more seriously. "Yes, you're both brainiacs. That will never change!" he joked a bit. "But she and Chad have one child. One," he emphasized.

"But she's got Chad, too," Gabriella smiled a bit and Troy froze for a moment in thought.

"Well, you've got a point there," he laughed and relaxed hearing a bit of a giggle come from his wife as well.

"But you know what I mean, Briella. You know that we are running with three kids now…three that we love so much, and we want them to have every opportunity that's out there." Troy kissed her forehead and rubbed his hands up and down her back.

Gabriella bit slightly on her bottom lip then rattled the paper in her hand. "And apparently they love and worry about us too."

Troy loosened his grip enough that both of them could hold the papers next to each other. They each read the misspelled words again and Troy felt Gabriella running her fingers almost nervously over his bicep.

"What?" he looked down at her and asked.

"Which line would you check?" she asked shyly.

"Well, _Gabrella_," he pronounced the name that was written by their 2nd grade son. "Even after seeing your angry tirade last night, and having to go to sleep without any snuggles, and after being somewhat ignored this morning… I would still check 'yes'. How about you?"

Gabriella nuzzled her nose against his chest and breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry," she apologized as she let out the breath.

"Don't be," Troy whispered. "You've got a right to be angry and frustrated… although, wait…are you apologizing for being angry and yelling… or are you sorry because you wouldn't check 'yes' on your love note?"

She had to laugh at his touch of fear and worry. "For being angry, Silly."

"Ok, but you still haven't answered the question," Troy pointed toward her paper.

Gabriella pulled away from his hold and turned toward the counter where she quickly found a crayon and marked on the paper, and then wrote something extra. She turned the paper toward her husband and held it up for him to see.

Troy smiled, seeing the check mark next to the 'yes' on the simple love letter. Then he pulled her back in his arms while he eyed the rest of the symbols she had written on the page.

"Gabrella lovs Troy 4-Evr! 3 xoxoxoxo"

**FB-CHEKYESORNO-FB**


	20. A Very Good Idea

**First and foremost, the middle and last parts of this chapter are rated 'M'. Readers under 18'ish, don't say I didn't warn you - and the mom in me requests that you don't read if you're under 16. Remember rated M is for mature material and in this particular chapter that doesn't pertain to violence or vocabulary. (Well, maybe vocabulary...without that no one would be reading.) ANYWAY... you get the point. (I've marked the point where it starts turning to mature material!)  
**

**I love Troy & Gabriella and their family. I love the relationship that they continue to have in this story - even if it is somewhat based on my own marriage, combined with the one I imagine Zanessa may someday have together! :D I hope you'll read, enjoy, review, PM, FB or email me and let me know what you think. Your comments feed my addiction & fuel my obsession!**

**Last but not least, thanks for all of your encouragement and support as we fans & 'crazed' fans continue to KTZLF. We may be crazy for believing...but ya know what, that faith may just help keep us sane! ha ha!**

**KTZLF! -adc**

* * *

"I have an idea that you're probably not going to like," Troy glanced at the clock knowing he was already late for work, yet feeling a need to stay with his wife on this particular morning.

"What's that?" she was also well aware of the time but was sharing his fondness of just standing there with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Well, I'm thinking that this might be a good day to do what you suggested and just throw our hands up and say 'forget it' for a little while."

He fully expected to feel a slap on his chest before she pulled away from him, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Instead her response was a simple intake of oxygen which she proceeded to exhale slowly through her nose.

Troy waited for a verbal response after that unexpected physical one. He felt her thinking; knew she was nibbling on her lower lip; and could practically hear the overactive wheels spinning in her head. It was as though he was asking her to skip class and meet him on the rooftop of their high school again – an idea so against her normal self that it took what seemed like forever and a force as strong as love to make her decide.

"You mean," she pressed half her face against his chest and spoke just above a whisper, imagining that if she said the words out loud someone besides Troy would hear her, "skip work and stay home?"

Troy smiled and knew he had more convincing to do. "Call it a mental health day. You said it yourself, our schedules are getting overwhelming and we need to take some time to get things reorganized."

_Now_ he felt a slight stinging sensation on his chest as his wife playfully smacked him, yet nuzzled her face tighter against his t-shirt. "As if anyone is going to believe we are accomplishing something by being at home together, on a weekday, completely out of the blue."

"Well, let's think about this for a minute. Over the past couple of weeks you have been under _a __lot_ of stress. First you were thinking that I was trying to get you pregnant again – which…if it happens, it happens and if it doesn't that's fine too, I just hope we both thoroughly enjoy ourselves either way!"

Gabriella raised her head to catch the kiss that she knew would follow his declaration and laughed gently when she felt his hands cup her behind to press their lower bodies together.

"And then there's all this stuff about running the kids all over the place and trying to keep up with work and keeping the house in order. It's a lot to deal with. And weekends are no help because we're still going in twenty different directions," Troy continued rationalizing and hoping that he might just win her approval.

Before she could say a word he let his thoughts roll on. "So, after being so upset last night…and this morning…and the emotions of realizing that even Jon Jack was affected by your reactions, what makes you think I'm going to _let_ you go to work today? And if I'm _forcing_ you to stay at home then there's no way in hell that I'm going to work. Because if I leave the house then you're just going to disobey my orders and go into work too. So, I need to stay at home to keep an eye on you."

Gabriella leaned her head back to look up at her rambling husband. He did have a point. The last couple of weeks had been pretty emotional ones. And it might be nice to just let things go for one day. She had her briefcase at home. If she started stressing about work she could pull out her files and accomplish something – although she was quite sure her husband had other 'work' in mind for both of them.

"So you're ordering me to stay home?" she asked, trying to hide her grin.

Troy reached for her cell phone and proceeded to dial the receptionist's desk at the district attorney's office. "Cindy, hey, it's Troy, Gabriella's husband. Listen, she's gonna be out of the office today. Everything's fine she's just gonna do a little work at home. If you need her give us a call. She'll be back in tomorrow." With that he ended the call and looked down at his wife whose mouth was slightly agape.

"That's it?" her eyes widened as he put the phone back on the counter by her purse. "You just leave a message and – poof – I'm taking the day off?"

Instead of answering Troy picked up his own phone and dialed the high school number. He held his hand in the air, successfully telling Gabriella to hold her questions for just a moment. "Ellen, it's Troy Bolton. I've had a slight issue come up at home. No, no, everything is fine…just one of those things that has to be dealt with now. Do you know if Chad is in yet? Ok, toss me over to his room. I'm sure he can take care of things for me today. See you tomorrow, thanks!"

"Chad can take care of things? Troy…" Gabriella shook her head but stopped talking when her husband gave her the 'shush' signal.

"Hey, Chad, yeah, Man it's me. Yeah, things are fine…I'm just… I need to cut out today. Mental health kind of day, you know?" Troy hesitated as he listened to his friend and co-worker.

"_Everything __ok __with __Gabster __and __the __kids? __Nobody__'__s __sick __are __they?__"_ Chad asked with concern.

"No, everything's good. Kids are on their way to school. We just…need a day to get… reorganized." Troy tried to explain.

"_Reorganized? __We?__ … __Hoops,__ what __aren__'__t __you__ telling __me? __Is__ Gabs __taking __the__ day __off __too?__"_ Chad's interest was now less concern and pure Danforth curiosity.

"Yes, she's taking the day too. I will give you the full details tomorrow, ok?" Troy verbalized through the phone.

"You'd better not!" came the quiet words from Gabriella's mouth that traveled to Chad's ears before she hit her husband's chest yet again.

"_Oh, __please__ tell __me__ that __the __two __of __you __aren__'__t __back __in __bed __already. __The __kids __haven__'__t __been __on __the __bus __fifteen __minutes__ yet, __have __they?__" _Chad cajoled.

Troy rolled his eyes at both his friend on the phone and his wife. "Love you too, Chad. I'll be back tomorrow. Just cover for me today, would ya?" he asked purposefully.

"_You know I will. But just remember you're leaving me in charge. And I don't need the full details. We can leave those for Gabs and Tay to discuss…although I might be interested in suggestions since you do have the whole house to yourself…"_

"I'm hanging up now, Chad. Do Not Call Us Unless It's An Emergency," Troy ordered pointedly and then ended the call without even saying 'bye'.

"And just like that," he put the phone down, wrapped his arms tightly around his wife, and dipped her slightly in his arms in order to place a much-wanted kiss on her lips, "the two of us are off work and at home together." He held her body in that position with his lips pressed to hers moving gently but electrically.

When he finally pulled her back up he admired her kiss-induced, closed eyelids and placed more soft kisses against them until Gabriella let out a humming sigh. "Now, I strongly suggest," he whispered, "that we do go back upstairs and back to bed, and pretend that it's last night again. Only this time, when I try to take your clothes off, just let me, okay? Just go with it. Forget it all and go with it."

Gabriella's eyelashes fluttered as she listened to his words and accepted what he was telling her. When her eyes opened almost fully and a content smile spread across her lips Troy knew his power over her still worked. He smiled back at her and stole another kiss from her lips.

"So?" he gave her one last chance to come up with her own plan to re-start their day.

"Carry me," she ordered with a shy, tiny voice, and a lip-biting smile, inviting her husband to keep control of this unplanned day…at least until they reached the bedroom door and the unmade bed behind it.

**MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM FBFBFBFBFB MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM **

Troy grunted as he allowed Gabriella to lean down and turn the knob on their bedroom door. She pulled herself back up in his arms and looked at the bit of strain on his face as she pushed the door open.

"Stairs not a good idea? You haven't carried me up the stairs in ages, not even piggy back," she thought out loud.

"No, it's not that," Troy protested. "It's the fact that you're wearing way too many clothes to go back to bed. I was actually thinking about getting some of them off of you before we made it this far."

Gabriella laughed. "Surely you weren't thinking of leaving a trail of my clothing up the stairs for the kids to find when they get home."

He dropped his wife on the bed but didn't even grin at the squeal she let out as she fell the eight to ten inches onto the mattress. He crossed his arms, tilted his head and gave her his best sarcastic stare.

"What?" she asked with a shake of her head and wide eyes.

"What I was thinking about actually, was not even making it up the steps before we got started with our do-over of last night." His face began to contort in nearly painful thought.

"So why are we all the way up here then?" Gabriella removed her heels and tossed them on the floor, then slid her arms out of her jacket and handed it to Troy to hang up.

"Honestly?" his thoughts continued from the walk-in closet. "As soon as we came through the door into the living room I had this thought of Mac coming through the front door followed by Chad or Dad and us on the couch barely even covered, but butt naked and asleep."

He stepped out of the smaller space just in time to see his wife shiver at the thought. And before he could make it to the bed Gabriella slid off the mattress and walked to their bedroom door. Troy watched as she made sure the door latched and then she turned the lock to secure their privacy.

"Is that awful?" she looked at him and leaned against the door.

Troy smiled at her and then moved close enough to press her against the wood. He used his pelvis to pin her in place before reaching up to unbutton her blouse.

"Not awful, just thinking ahead. Our house isn't exactly Grand Central Station, but with Chad knowing we're home, alone…" Troy let the thought drop as his fingers pulled the softly starched material away from her skin, giving him a peek at the soft pink bra she had chosen to wear underneath.

Gabriella glanced down to see what had caught his eye and then placed her forearms on his strong shoulders, letting her fingertips play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Sorry, if I'd known I was playing hooky I might have worn some sexier underwear." She watched his eyes as Troy watched his fingers gently pulling her blouse opening wider and wider until he could slide his fingers inside and touch her warm skin.

Her hands began to fidget with more of his hair, his scalp and massaging his neck muscles as his hands pushed her top open even wider to reveal the everyday halter that held her still-firm breasts in place.

"Troy…" her voice called out to him as she had for twenty years; the sound of his name bringing his eyes to hers, no matter where their hands were on each other's bodies.

His fingers and palms quickly found their way to her neck where he ran his thumbs over her pulse points on each side before leaning down to begin a hungry kiss. She welcomed his mouth along with the feel of his body pressing hers against the hardness of the door. It took less than a moment for her to pull him even closer with her fingers tangling in his hair.

Before her tongue could coax its way into his mouth Troy slid his tongue along her jawbone and began a sensuous trip around her ear. He smiled slightly as she sucked in a quick breath and swallowed quietly as his teeth bit gently around the small pearl earring.

He persisted with the slightly pinching action as he moved her arms off his shoulders and pushed them down by her sides. And, knowing her mouth was open with anticipation, Troy let his lips and tongue lead a fiery path from her ear down the tight, sensitive skin of her neck, pulling a moan of appreciation from her chest.

She barely felt her top being pushed off her shoulders because of the trail he was burning all over her neck and collarbone.

"Troy…" a barely audible whisper brought his eyes back up to see her closed eyelids and her tongue sneaking out to wet her dry lips that were still sucking in breaths that caused her near-naked chest to rise and fall.

"Yes, my sexy wife?" his fingers began to tug on the bra straps, pulling them to the roundness of her shoulders before letting them slide down to meet the material of her partially removed blouse.

"I…" she stammered slightly as he bent again and left flower-petal-soft kisses from the base of her neck down her sternum, between her breasts which he teased with the tips of his fingers through the satiny material. He pulled his head back only to see that her nipples had hardened enough for him to flick his thumb across – which made them even more pronounced through the thin fabric.

She felt the wetness of his mouth sucking on her excited tip and groaned. She tried to reach up to move her bra cup away, to allow him the access for his mouth to meet her tingling, wanting, heat-darkened mound, but his hand caught hers and pushed it back against the door.

"Mmmm," she whimpered, his mouth still assaulting the overly sensitive buds of skin on her nipple.

The sound of her girlish whine made him smile before wrapping his teeth around the undergarment and pulling it downward enough to let one of her breasts escape and fall against his cheek.

"Oh, Baby…" he breathed against her skin as he nuzzled his face against her soft breast and then tensed his tongue to place the slightest lick against her areola.

The groan that pushed from her lips and nose accompanied her body pressing toward his. Troy reached for one of her hands and guided it to the front of his pajama pants where his hardness was beginning to strain for attention.

She immediately grasped him gently and ran her hand up and down his erection to pull similar sounds of satisfaction from his body.

When he pulled his head away from her chest she opened her eyes to watch him. His head instinctively lobbed backwards pushing his groin more firmly against her stroking hand.

She pulled on his covered member for another moment before moving both hands to his shirt and tugging it upwards, wanting the hampering item off his body. Troy let her remove it and then retaliated, unbuttoning the last two buttons on her blouse and dropping it to the floor then reaching around her and unclasping the bra hooks that still held the silk and elastic around her chest. Gabriella rolled her shoulders slightly letting the supportive material fall to the pile of clothing on the carpet.

Troy's hands moved to her chest, cupping her tender breasts, kneading them and letting her nipples brush against his palms. Gabriella's hands moved back to the waistband on his sleep attire and pulled firmly on the front of the elastic until she could practically shove it down far enough, along with his boxers, to set his excited penis free.

Troy finally moved back to her lips, wrapping his arms around her to hold her chest against his as he moved in her gentle grasp. His tongue slipped easily through her lips and over her teeth, meeting her taste buds and letting her feel his groans without holding back.

"You're so good," he forced the whispered words to come out as she began pushing the pj pants over his hips, down his thighs and around his ankles.

Gabriella didn't even try to reply; instead she moved his hands to her waist where he could feel the button on her dress pants. She tiptoed to kiss him again and felt his fingers beginning to toy with the plastic closure, trying to maneuver it through the hole to finish undressing her.

Troy pushed her body completely against the door when he succeeded in his task. He kissed her deeply, owning her mouth, using his hands to touch every sensitive spot on her body and then pulling her forward just enough to push the pants, stockings and panties down to her ankles.

They shared a grin as they looked at each other, naked, to their ankles.

"Do you suppose…" Gabriella began to ask.

"It might be easier with _everything_ off," Troy raised an eyebrow at her and then held out his hand for her to hold as she balanced first on one foot and then the other, finishing the less than sexy – but enjoyable - striptease act that had been performed.

Gabriella giggled slightly as her husband leaned her back against the door, began kissing her and then raised each of his feet, shaking and kicking until his own clothing was on the floor.

Both took a moment to breathe another excited breath as they scanned each other's bare skin. The jovial moment passed quickly when Gabriella reached out again and ran her fingertips over Troy's extended length.

"It's been a while since we've had a day to ourselves," she continued the light touch watching him enjoy and feeling him reach for her, his tip rubbing against her thigh, her light patch of coiled hair that covered her heated center and nearly reaching that moist heat before she wrapped her hand around him and watched his eyes close in pure enjoyment.

She looked down, enjoying the sight that she was seeing, his penis stretched taut; his head glistening with the bit of liquid that leaked from the tiny slit on his tip. Gabriella hesitated only a second, lightly licking her lips and silently pulling in a breath of anticipation before she let her body slide down the door to find a comfortable position haunched on her knees.

It wasn't until she placed a puckered, sucking kiss to his velvety, soft tip that Troy's eyes opened wide to watch his wife. "Gabriella…" was the one hoarse word that slipped from him before she wrapped her lips around him and began to push him toward a ledge that he hadn't walked in a long, long time.

Both decided one thing just inside their bedroom door as their groans, moans and loving words grew louder and louder: Skipping work together, every now and then, was a very, _very_ good idea.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

Troy rolled his body gingerly over top of his wife, freeing her from their intimate connection nearly an hour later. Both lay sated on the sweat-dampened sheets that were pulled half-way off the mattress from their rolling, tickling, playing and then ultimately writhing together in the center of the king-sized bed.

"Where," Troy struggled to gasp for a breath but desperately wanted to simply speak to Gabriella, "did you come up with…_that_?" His eager, curious question made a lazy smile form on the relaxed face of the woman next to him.

She turned her face toward him and opened her eyes as she reached toward his cheek and then let her palm gently move against his skin and hair. "I'm gonna guess that you enjoyed _that_ then?" She watched his chest heave up and down as he tried to regain normal breathing.

"Dear God, Brie…that was _hot_! You down on your knees, with your lips wrapped around me…and letting me…" his eyes closed and she noticed the twitch of his groin, his hips jerking upwards at the thought of the actions that had begun their morning's love making.

Troy turned toward Gabriella, enjoying the satisfied look on her face and then rolled onto his side and scooted closer to her in order to place his head on her chest. She wrapped an arm around him and buried a kiss into the top of his head. She cringed at the wetness in his hair and yet was pleased with herself and her husband for working up a good sweat as they pleased each other.

Troy softly placed a hand over her belly button and began to trace invisible artwork over her skin. "I hope I didn't," he turned his head to place a kiss on the top of her breast, "I mean, I didn't give you anything extra…you know…before we got to the bed; when I was in your mouth…" he worried slightly about the foreplay that had worked him up to near orgasm before they even moved to the bed.

Gabriella looked down at him as though she was holding one of their children against her chest. "Mmm-mmm," she breathed in enjoying the feel of their bodies still practically connected, "just the normal pre-stuff. You didn't mind that we slowed down when we came over to the bed? I didn't realize how quickly that would get you _worked __up_. I really didn't mean to tease you…I, well I did, of course…but I wasn't trying to be mean you know," she attempted to explain.

He pulled back from her and braced his head against his hand that was anchored by his elbow onto a pillow. He used his other hand to move some of her hair away from her eyes and then smiled widely. "That was a little mean," he watched her mouth the word 'sorry' at him while raising her eyebrows as if to say, 'tough luck!'. "It almost seemed as if you _knew_ exactly what you were going for from the minute you locked that door, Hot Stuff."

"Well, not exactly," she looked down at his chest and then moved her hand to play with the few, light chest hairs that had adorned his well-toned body over their years together. She pouted slightly and yet smiled a bit as she raised her eyes under her dark eyelashes to watch his face. "But I kinda knew that if I let you finish up over there, then _I_ wouldn't get nearly enough attention."

Troy raised his eyebrows as he noted her attempt to look innocent. "Are you saying I don't pay enough _attention _to you, now? You know, batting those eyelashes at me will only get you more attention right now, Little Miss Innocent."

She bit her lip seductively and let her fingers run lower and lower on his body. "Promise?"

Troy flinched slightly as she attempted to touch the juncture between his hip and thigh. "Still sensitive," he excused the action. "I can promise attention…I can even promise that if you think you're up to it I'll find a way to get you to number two. But if you want _him_ involved it may take a little more work on your part."

"Two?" the look on Gabriella's face became wide-eyed and tinged with shock.

"What?" Troy looked back at her with concern. "I'm sorry, Baby. I thought that's what you were talking about. If you just want to lay here and touch and cuddle, that's fine too. I can give you that kind of attention too. I just thought…"

"Wildcat," Gabriella's gaze turned back to the loving, teasing one that she had held moments before. She waited for Troy to give her his undivided attention before letting one corner of her mouth turn upwards to reveal her true thoughts. "You just spent nearly a half hour inside of me hitting _that _spot…" her eyes fluttered closed for a moment at the thought of the feeling of him fully inside of her. "If you think I only came once…" she shook her head and smiled at his now, pride-filled face.

"So, like I said," his voice hit the sexy tone that drove her absolutely insane, "I can even promise – if you think you're up to it – to find a way to get you to number…" he paused for her to fill in the blank.

"Let's say four or five maybe? I can't say that I was able to keep the count exactly. And I guess, actually," she tilted her head from side to side in playful thought, "I'm not sure if number two just kept going…and going…or if that moved into number three kinda seamlessly…"

At her revelation Troy threw his head back and laughed out loud. Then he looked at her again, shook his head, placed his left hand behind her head and wove his fingers through her hair before reattaching their lips and rolling her back onto the bed for whichever round of pure, loving, ecstasy she chose to enjoy.

**20 AVeryGoodIdea FBFBFB AVeryGoodIdea 20**


	21. Reminders

**In the last chapter our fave couple had made their way back to bed and enjoyed their time together. But you just know that can't last for them, right? ;) Plus, Gabriella still wants to get to the bottom of Jon's 'Chek yes or no' love letters!**

**So, without further adieu...Future Boltons Chapter 21!  
KTZLF! -adc**

**OH! The news says an 'epic storm' may be heading toward Alaska - where V happens to be shooting _Frozen Ground_. Do you think we can encourage Zac to join her there, before the storm, in order to keep her warm when she gets snowed in? Pretty please w/ a little Zanessa love on top? :D -sigh-**

* * *

"So what's in store for the rest of our day?" Gabriella propped her head up on her palm and looked down at her re-awakening husband.

Troy smiled before opening his eyes. "Are you telling me that you're already tired of being in bed with me?"

Gabriella used her index finger to brush across his eyelids, then down his nose and over his lips. "The last time I remember spending all day in bed was after several hours of labor followed by the birth of an eight pound little girl; as much as I _enjoyed_ that, I've gotta say our morning has been _much, __much_ more fun. But I'm not sure that I can justify being in bed today, _all_ day long."

"What happened to 'just forget it all'?" Troy opened his eyes and tilted his head to bring her face into focus.

Gabriella sighed. "I just keep thinking about Jon Boy's notes. And then I start wondering what I'm supposed to say to everybody at work when they ask if I'm feeling ok tomorrow."

Troy smiled at her, the tell-tale nervousness of their impromptu day off finally showing through her not-so-tough exterior. "Well, are you?"

She blinked her eyes a few times and looked into his rested blue dazzlers. "Am I what?" her mind circled toward his thoughts.

"Are you feeling ok? Are you feeling better than you were this morning when you first got up? Are you feeling better than you were last night? Have I helped you feel better _at__ all_ during our time together?" He reached up and pushed some hair from her face while her eyes began to dance with the thought of just how good he _had_ made her feel this morning.

"Well, yes, of course I do… of course you have," she lowered her face to his and gently kissed his lips softly before scooting herself into a sitting position and pulling the wrinkled sheet around her body.

"So then you simply tell your nosey co-workers 'yes, I'm feeling better' and leave it at that. Unless of course you _want _to tell them how good I am in bed…"

"Troy!"

She grabbed her pillow with her left hand and threw it down over his face while he nearly cackled at her reaction.

Troy quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her back down to the mattress where he could hold her down and smother every ticklish part of her with kisses.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

"I GIVE!" Gabriella finally screamed, letting her tortured, laughing voice fill the emptiness in their home "I give…" she began to catch her breath as Troy threw one of his legs over her thighs and began to push his body over on top of hers.

She watched his eyes as they moved up the uncovered parts of her body and met hers with a look that confirmed, with purpose, that she was – in fact – his wife. And just as she began to accept the fact that he intended to keep her in bed even longer, their bubble was burst by the dreaded outside force; the phone rang.

Troy looked toward the bedside table at the guilty apparatus.

"You knew it wouldn't last," Gabriella rolled her eyes at the snarl on his face.

"So one day _is_ too much to ask," Troy sighed, still resisting the demand that would require him to move off her body in order to make it stop.

Gabriella moved her hands to his thighs and rubbed her fingers over the hairs on his legs. "You're gonna have to move, Wildcat."

"Don't wanna," Troy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Answer the phone. It doesn't require getting out of bed. Just roll over there and answer it."

Troy looked at his wife and she laughed out loud at the familiar look on his face. "That's Becca!" Gabriella nearly snorted, pointing to his face and pushing him off of her. "I _knew_ I'd seen that look before!"

Troy looked back at his wife as he rolled toward the edge of the bed. He stuck his tongue out at her and then lifted the phone from its cradle before sending a raspberry flying in her direction.

"What?" he asked with frustration into the receiver.

"_Troy?__"_ the sound of Jack's voice made Troy lean his head back before he laughed silently and looked back at Gabriella.

"Yes, Dad?" Troy's response made Gabriella smack a hand over top of her own eyes and smile.

"_I just called the school to see if you wanted me to swing by to help with practice today, or if we needed to help with the kids. Chad said something came up and you had to stay at home. Is everything ok?"_

Troy shook his head, pressed his lips together with a twist and just looked at his wife.

"_Is__ Gabriella__ ok?__ Something __wrong__ at__ the __house? __Do__ you __need__ me __to__ come __over?__" _Jack's voice seeped with concern and just a trace of curiosity.

Troy's head stopped shaking and his eyes widened. "Come over?" He watched Gabriella's smile fade as her brown eyes also became larger. "No, Dad, there is no need to come over. Everything is fine, really."

"_Are__ you __sure?__ What __are __you __doing?__ You __don__'__t __sound__ sick,__" _Jack pushed.

"I didn't say I was sick," Troy mentioned nearly under his breath.

"_Excuse __me?__"_ Jack waited.

Troy took a deep breath. "Jon…didn't sleep well last night. Well, he… Look, Dad, Gabriella and I are both home. We're gonna pick Jon up a little early from school and just spend some time with him. That's the short answer."

Gabriella reached out toward Troy and linked her fingers with his. She nodded her head with an easy smile as he looked toward her, hoping Jack would accept his explanation but knowing that was unlikely.

"_So__ you __both __took __the __day __off __work __to __pick __him __up __early? __Was __that __the __smartest __thing __to __do?__"_ Jack's coaching brain still worked overtime when it came to Troy and school.

Troy licked his lips and paused before taking another breath. Gabriella knew what that meant and the blush practically spread across her face before Troy said another word.

"Dad? Jon got upset because Gabriella and I had a little spat last night. Nothing major, but he's just not used to _seeing_ our gripe sessions. _WE_ took the day off because … well, because my wife and I needed to _straighten__ out_ our little spat first before dealing with our son." He stopped short, leaving the words for Jack to try and decipher.

"_What __on __earth __were __you __arguing__ about __that __couldn__'__t __get __settled __after __the__ kids __were __in __bed __last __night?__"_ Jack asked with a firmer tone of voice.

"Dad…" Troy criticized.

"_Well__ did __you __and __Gabriella __talk __things __out?__" _ Troy's father tried a different route.

"You could say that." Jack's son kept his answers cryptic on purpose.

Jack rolled his eyes, feeling the frustration building. Could Troy not give him one straight answer?

"_I__'__m__ not __stupid __Troy. __Your __mom__ and __I __have __played __hooky __from__ work __before. __Don__'__t __use __your __son __as __the __scapegoat,__" _Jack accused.

Troy's mouth dropped open slightly and he threw a surprised, half-disgusted look at Gabriella. "Oh please do not elaborate on that. I get it. Yes, Gabriella and I are home, alone together. We're allowed to do that now, right? We're married. We're parents. We get it. But I'm not lying to you. Jon is the reason we stayed home. He's fine but Brie and I need a little Jon Boy time this afternoon."

Jack nodded on the other end. Having an adult child was easier. At least now, knowing the younger couple was having a fully marital relationship wasn't something he needed to worry about. But he could still have some fun with it.

"_Ok, __fair __enough. __You __may__ want__ to __fill__ Chad__ in__ on __that__ though.__" _Jack tried his best to keep his voice serious.

"Why?" Troy sucked in a breath. "I talked to Chad earlier. He knows what we're doing… I mean… never mind," Troy stopped as Gabriella held up a finger over her lips.

"_Well,__ he __always __has __been __the __expert __at __interrupting __the __two __of __you, __hasn__'__t __he?__" _Jack asked with a slight chuckle escaping his lips.

"Chad." The pouting 'Becca' face formed again on the little girl's father. "And he's succeeded yet again," Troy commented.

Both Gabriella and Jack creased their eyebrows together wondering what Troy meant. Gabriella shrugged as Jack took an even more direct approach. _"__What __do __you__ mean?__"_

"Chad…the master interrupter?" Troy paused, but continued when became clear that Jack and Gabriella weren't catching onto his meaning. "Did you call him this morning or did he call you, Dad?" Troy's pout continued.

"_He left a message earlier saying you were a little short-staffed and might need some help today. I called him back…"_

"Ah-Hah!" Troy exclaimed with a smack to his leg and a point in Gabriella's direction. "He knew as soon as he told you that I wasn't at school that you'd be calling us. He knew it!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. Yes, Chad Danforth was the master interrupter…and yes, he was still Troy's best friend. But on this particular day, much to Troy's dismay, it was probably a good thing he had interrupted…no matter how he had accomplished it.

"Troy…" she whispered.

Troy turned his irked face toward her with the phone still glued to his ear. Gabriella pointed at the digital time on the clock at the head of their bed. Troy did a double take and looked closer at the numbers. 1:30 in the afternoon. He smiled as Gabriella playfully shook a finger at him, causing him to change his tune and tone completely with his father.

"Dad, thank you for the interruption. I think it's time for me and Brie to get out of bed and get dressed. Tell Chad I said 'thanks' for his concern but we are all good. I'll talk to you later and I'll take care of him tomorrow."

Jack listened to his son but only heard the part about 'getting out of bed' before putting up his fatherly defenses. _"__Hanging__ up__ now!__"_ he grumbled before he and Troy both ended the call at nearly the same time.

"Wonderful," Gabriella looked at Troy with a sigh as she reached for her underwear to try and re-start the day. "Not only does Chad know we've spent half the day in bed, now Coach does too."

Troy placed the receiver back in the cradle and then pulled his boxers over his ankles and up his legs. He turned around and grinned at the woman who was attempting to act angry about the point she'd just made.

"Well, look at it this way, Babe. By the time Tay and Mom get to you they'll already know we had a _really_ good morning. Otherwise you would've been complaining to them about me being an ass or I'd be sleeping on one of their couches tonight, right?"

"The day is still young, you know," she countered.

Troy puffed out his cheeks and glanced at the clock again. "What time does J-Man get outta school?"

"2:45." Gabriella answered and creased her forehead wondering what thought had now entered her husband's mind.

"Good," Troy smiled, rounded the bed, took her hand and tugged her toward their bathroom. "Just enough time for us to take a shower so you can see if I've cleaned up my act before we go get him." He raised and lowered his eyebrows several times and continued to pull her toward the master bath with a devious look on his face.

Gabriella shook her head but didn't do much else to dissuade her husband. As much as she liked the idea of having some time with their son, she was also completely enjoying the one on one time that she and Troy were sharing right now.

**FBFBFBFBFB**

The little blond haired second grader cringed just a little when he got to the office and found both of his parents waiting for him.

"There he is!" Gabriella smiled and held her arms open.

Jon walked just a bit skeptically toward her embrace and prayed that she wouldn't embarrass him by placing a kiss on the top of his head. He focused on his father's hand which went up in the air to take a hi-five slap from the boy.

"You ready to roll?" Troy looked down at Jon who looked between his parents and slightly shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, I guess," although he wasn't quite sure what he was rolling to or why at 2:45 in the afternoon both of his parents were at his school and picking him up.

"So how was school today?" Gabriella asked her son, a hand on his back as they maneuvered the various vehicles and groups of students who were gathering in front of the school building.

"It was good," Jon answered, giving the typical type of answer parents expect to hear from their kids.

"Do anything fun?" Troy prodded as they approached their mini-van.

Jon thought a moment. "We caught a frog on the playground. It was pretty slimy. Abi took it from me and showed it to Bella and she screamed. That was pretty funny!" He snickered in amusement.

"Jonathan Jackson!" Gabriella laughed but tried to admonish their son.

"What?" He retaliated. "Abi did it, not me. We didn't get in trouble at all. Our teacher just told us to put the frog back because we couldn't bring it in the school cause it needs to live outside. Not my fault Bella gets freaked out by frogs and stuff."

Troy took Jon's side as he sat down in the driver's seat and waited for them to get buckled. "Good point. Maybe Abi was just showing Bella the frog because it was cute…" he attempted.

"Nah," Jon chimed in. "She knew it would freak Bella out. Abi just likes to do that cause I don't think she likes Bella."

Gabriella and Troy shared a look. The van was silent after that with Troy concentrating on getting out of the parking lot while Gabriella debated how to start the real conversation with their son.

Once they were out on the main roadway Jon practically started the chat himself. "Am I in trouble or something?" his voice came out of the blue.

Gabriella turned in her seat to look at him. He looked a lot like his father in the various pictures she had seen of Troy at the ripe age of eight. Their little boy was leaned back against the back seat of the van, not exactly relaxed, but prepared for whatever his mother was about to say.

"No, you're not in trouble. Should you be?" she chanced asking before getting into anything else.

"No. I don't think so," Jon answered.

After just another second he spoke up again. "Are you guys gonna get a divorce?"

"What?" the combined reply from his parents startled Jon just a bit. That - coupled with his mother's head whipping around and his father's eyes meeting his in the rearview mirror – told him that his question had hit some kind of nerve.

When he looked back at Gabriella, Jon could see the tears forming in her eyes, even with her head shaking and the soft smile on her face.

"Did somebody say we are?" she asked him before clearing her throat to try and regain her composure. Troy immediately moved one of his hands across the console between them to grab hold of his wife's. "Where did you hear that?"

Jon shrugged his shoulders. The little boy had no reason to lie to his parents and no reason to believe they would lie to him. But he also realized – as he had last night – that this was a serious subject.

"One of my friends said his parents argued and then they got a divorce and now they don't live together. He only gets to see his dad on Saturdays and Sundays and his mom is looking for a new place for them to live. He might have to switch schools. He said it's real hard right now and he seems really sad."

Gabriella squeezed Troy's hand as they pulled into the parking space in front of the ice cream shop. She quickly climbed out of her normal seat and made her way to the back to sit by her son.

"I'm sorry for what's happening with your friend's family. But Jon Boy, your Daddy's not going anywhere and neither am I." She took a deep breath to hold back her tears and was glad that Troy also climbed into one of the middle seats and turned sideways to face them, to take a closer part in the conversation.

"Hey, Bud," Troy started by putting a hand on Jon's knee. "You heard and saw me and Mom arguing last night, right? And you know Mom was pretty upset. Well, straight up, she was mad and you know that, don't you?"

Jon looked shyly at his mother and then back at his dad before nodding. Gabriella blinked and let a few tears fall down her cheeks before putting her arm around her son and simply saying "I'm sorry."

Jon looked back and forth between them. "I don't like it when you guys get mad. It scares me. And after what Jake said…the divorce thing…I don't want us to live apart. I like our family the way it is."

Troy smiled at his son and then looked at his wife with the loving gaze that won out 95 percent of the time. He moved his hand from Jon's knee in order to take her hand in his again. "We do too, Buddy. I hate being away from you guys when I go on the road for tournaments and stuff. I can't imagine not living at home with you and your sisters…and your mom. I don't think I could stand that."

"But you've gotta know," Troy continued with looks at both his son and his wife, "we are normal people. You know how you get mad sometimes when things don't go the way you want them to?" He waited for Jon to nod. "Well it's the same for me…_and_ for your mom. It's kinda like when Bella got freaked out over the frog and got upset or mad. Sometimes we have things that go wrong or little things that happen at work, or at home, and it freaks us out. And the best way we know to handle it is to fuss and gripe and complain and even sometimes to yell about it."

Gabriella marveled slightly at the words Troy was saying. Not only was he easing Jon's tensions, but hers too. No, they didn't want the kids to see them fighting, arguing, evening griping about things. But Troy was right, it was better for the kids to know that they did have those situations.

"What you've gotta remember," Gabriella dipped her head and layed several soft kisses on Jon's head, "is that we love each other. Arguments and shouting – as much as I hate those – they don't mean that our love has gone away. Daddy and I have been through way too much together to let some silly little spats take away our love."

Troy turned and reached around the front seat into Gabriella's purse. He pulled the two notes from it and brought them into his lap where Jon could see them.

"Did you write these last night?" Troy held them up

"Yes, Sir," Jon answered with a slow nod.

"Then you are the one who needs to see our answers." Troy held the papers out to him letting him grab hold of them to look closely.

Jon leaned against his mother and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a squeezing bear hug. She buried her face in his hair and held him close.

"I'm sorry I let stuff get to me sometimes, Jon Boy. And I'm really sorry that I yelled in front of you and Mac and Becca last night. I will try not to let that happen again. But if I do, just know that I love you guys and Daddy more than anything else in this world. Okay?" Gabriella squeezed him back and then had to laugh when he wriggled to get free from her.

Both parents looked at their son as all three of them got a better grasp on their emotions. Jon's smile broke through when he saw his mom and dad watching him.

"So are we gonna get ice cream or are you guys just teasing me?" he finally asked. Gabriella noticed that he simply tossed the two love notes over to the side of the seat before unbuckling his seat-belt.

"That depends," she put her arm across the path to the door, blocking his way.

Jon stood up and looked at his mom and then his dad. Troy's look was a bit confused so Jon looked back at Gabriella. "On what?" the little boy asked.

"Do I get to keep those notes?" Gabriella pointed to the sheets of paper with the scribbled handwriting.

"Sure, I guess," Jon answered and grabbed the papers to hand to her.

Gabriella moved her arm for Jon to make his way out of the van past her and Troy. When she stood to move Troy placed his arm across the seats and caught her eye. "Any particular reason you want to hang onto those?" he asked with a slight grin.

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "Just as a reminder of how much our son does care about our family; and to remind us both that we love each other…just in case we ever, you know, argue about that or something." She grinned as Troy's eyes widened.

"Well, _you__know_, if we skip a day of work every now and again, there are _lots_ of ways I can think of to remind you how much I love you," he winked at her and the roll of her eyes. "And there's no paperwork involved." His eyebrows wagged up and down in pretend seduction.

"Are you guys coming or not?" the young voice sounded from outside the van.

"Jon, I think your Dad's stuck!" Gabriella lied purposefully. "Come here, grab his hand and pull him out of the van. I'll push!"

The adorable smiling face peeked into the van just in time to see his father grab his mother by the waist and begin to push her into the back seat with a tickling attack. The eight-year-old laughed, climbed up into the van and began to playfully beat on his father's back.

"Jon to the rescue!" he yelled as Troy begged for mercy with laughter coming from all three members of the family.

**FB21-REMINDERS-FB21**


End file.
